Rinse and Repeat
by Totidem Verbis
Summary: 12/19/2018-On Hiatus / "Yes, I realize that I sound crazy. Time travel isn't real and blah, blah, blah." I cross my arms and level a glare at the gaping Spirit Detective. "Have your freak out and get over it. We've got a universe to save."
1. Start The Countdown

**NOTE TO READERS:** I am completely open to criticism; I think it helps me grow as a writer, and I can use all the help I can get. I prefer constructive criticism, but I'm all for freedom of speech. However, if there is a pairing or plot point that you don't like, please make sure the review you leave is not a Guest review so that I have a chance to defend/explain myself. I hope you enjoy the story!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I own my original characters and some parts of the plot. If you want to know who owns what, just ask. It's safer to assume that I own nothing.

 **Author's Note:** New story! I'm keeping the pairing a secret for now, to make it more fun, but I'd love to hear guesses for who you think it'll be! This chapter is short because it's an introduction and a little of a tease, but the next chapter is much longer to make up for it. This chapter just has the OCs in it, just two so please don't worry, but the entire YYH gang is going to be in this story.

 **Post Date:** 23 July 2017

 **Word Count:** 1390

* * *

 **Chapter One  
** **Start The Countdown**

 **2023 June**

"We lost," I say and look out over the destruction. Without the blue sky above me, I wouldn't even be able to tell that I'm standing in the Human World. Buildings have been leveled, streets and sidewalks have been completely destroyed, and the air is full of the stench of decay.

"We lost," Takahiro agrees and looks over at me. His glasses were lost a few days ago, so I'm able to look up into eyes darker than my own. His hand reaches over to grab mine and lace our fingers together, and our skin is torn and tacky with drying blood. I tighten my grip as much as I can despite my rapidly fleeing strength and tilt my head back to look up into dull blue eyes. We've been fighting for so long, and I'm so tired.

Something in my chest breaks open, and I quickly look down to see what's ripped into me this time. There's no claws or any other kind of weapon, and my breath stutters as the pain spreads from the _**X**_ carved into my chest to the rest of my body. My veins are freezing and losing their warmth. My stomach drops and goes cold as what little energy I have left flees, and that's when it really hits me. I haven't been attacked. Not this time. I gave my energy to another, to _him_ , and now that energy is gone. It's a good thing that I'm already dying, because I'd never be able to survive this. The pain is so intense that I lose track of time, and I don't know if it's been seconds or hours since the pain started as I look down at the burned ground under my feet.

"I can't feel any of them anymore." I expect my voice to crack or for my eyes to fill with tears, but I don't have the strength to cry. To mourn. There's nothing left in me. Next to me, Takahiro drops to his knees. His hand is still gripping mine, and I can see blood streaking down the right side of his chin because he's bitten right through his bottom lip.

"They're gone," Takahiro says quietly. He sounds as empty as I feel, and I tip my head back to look at the sky. Smoke covers the blue expanse, but it might look peaceful if I couldn't hear the screams. The sounds of humans and demons screaming as they die echoes around me, and listening to them is a reminder. We lost, and there's no peace to be found here.

The ground starts to quake under my feet, and Takahiro shouts as a strong energy starts to press down on us. I manage to stay on my feet as my skin splits open under the force of it, because if I'm about to die? I'm going to die standing. It's what _he_ would want. I'm sure that's how _he_ died, fighting and on his feet. The ground under us cracks and tips Takahiro to the side, and I lock my knees as he presses his face against my side. I want to move my other arm around his shoulders and hold him closer, but I lost it a few days ago. My right arm is probably buried in the rubble of a different destroyed city.

"You think we'll have peace in the afterlife?" I ask. The energy is getting closer…it won't be much longer now. Takahiro laughs quietly against my ribs and then hisses as the small movement causes him pain, and I move my thumb across the top of his hand in small circles. It's the only kind of comfort I can give.

"I think we're owed some peace." We really believed that we would win; we believed it recklessly and wholeheartedly, because the good guys always win. That's how it goes, right? Good triumphs over evil. That's the rule. Good suffers through trials but always comes out the other side victorious. Except for this time.

"I fuckin' hate this! You hear me, Koenma?! You said that we would win! You said that we had to win! But they're gone! They're dead! And so are we!" I yell at the sky. I don't even know if Koenma is alive to hear me.

The ground is shaking nonstop now, and my chest heaves from yelling. My right arm is gone, my friends are dead, and I'm next. I joined the fight because it was the right thing to do, and because I really thought that we'd win. That we'd be able to pull it off. I was wrong, clearly, and now I'm going to die for that belief. Fuck! I'm going to die! Even after everything we sacrificed, I'm going to die! None of it was enough.

Takahiro sags suddenly, and he only stays somewhat upright because I'm still holding onto his hand. I can hear him breathing, barely, but he's unconscious. That's good. He doesn't need to be conscious for this. It'll be easier for him this way. I gently lower his body to the ground and release his hand, and I take a moment to look at the clean side of his face. If I use my imagination, I can pretend that we're safe and he's sleeping. (It's like we're in the woods close to our home, lying on the grass under shade trees, and Takahiro's napping.) He looks like he's sleeping anyway and not lying unconscious because of the overwhelmingly strong energy that's coming our way.

"Are you ready?"

The first thing I see is black boots, followed by long jean-clad legs, and then a pristine white shirt stretched over a lean torso and broad shoulders. It's not fair. Takahiro and I are covered in blood, the streets are coated in filth, and this asshole looks flawless. Cold amber eyes quickly sweep over me, and he raises one hand to ruffle the back of his red hair as he takes in my ruined state. Because I am ruined. I've been beaten, and we both know it. He stuffs his hands in his pockets as his eyes finally meet mine, and the force of his energy continually lashes out against me. I'm not going to fall to my knees. I'm going to die standing.

"If I say no, will you walk away?" His head tips back as he laughs, a loud and joyful sound that mixes with the soundtrack from hell, and I don't even have the energy to hate him. How annoying.

"Smarting off in the face of danger, I've always liked that about you. It almost makes me want to spare you. _Almost_ ," he emphasizes. Yeah, I know I'm not walking away from this. That's probably a good thing, because it's not like I have the strength to take a single step anyway.

"Good to know. Now can you get on with it? I'm tired of just standin' around and lookin' pretty." Amber eyes narrow, but he can't scare me now. I'm already dead. What's there to be afraid of? His face softens into a look that's a mixture of guilt and pity, and my left hand clenches into a tight fist. I'm not about to let the asshole who murdered the world _pity_ me. "What are you waitin' for?! A written invitation?! I said fuckin' end it!"

"If that's what you want."

Dark red energy, the same color as his hair, wraps around Takahiro and me. I can hear Takahiro screaming as golden sparks light along my skin, but there's no point. His energy is stronger than mine, and there's no fight left in me. I let my head fall back as I scream, from the pain and from anger. It's not fair, but life isn't fair. _He_ told me that once. I should have listened. Blood drains out of me as dark red clouds my vision…and then it all stops. Takahiro has stopped breathing and is lying dead at my feet, and I'm still standing. My heart is beating, barely… _one, two, three_. It's almost over.

"I'll get you in the next life," I force out. _Four, five, six._ Black creeps along the edges of my vision, until the only thing I can see is his face. There's so much guilt there, but why does he feel guilty? We're the ones who lost.

"Looking forward to it, Corentine."

 _Seven, eight…_

* * *

 **Ending Note:** There's the first chapter! If it's confusing, it's supposed to be. More will be explained as the story progresses, and there will be some familiar faces in the next chapter! If there's any questions, I'd be happy to answer them and I'd love to know your thoughts on this chapter. I'm really excited about this story, so the next update should be out soon.


	2. Nothing Is Fair In This Life

**Author's Note:** Since the first chapter was so short and didn't have any familiar faces, I decided to update early! (I also just finished another chapter on this story and felt like updating again.) This chapter is for you, **SakaHanajima1**! Thank you for all of the support and for listening to me ramble about my crazy story ideas.

 _Sentences or long sequences written just in italics are memories from the past._

 _ **Sentences or long sequences written in bolded italics are memories from the future timeline.**_

Context clues should be obvious, but I thought I'd give everyone a little heads-up.

 **Post Date:** 24 July 2017

 **Word Count:** 12,310

* * *

 **Chapter Two  
** **Nothing Is Fair In This Life**

 **Corey**

…I can hear birds. I'd know that chirping anywhere; those are the birds that live in the tree outside of my kitchen window, and Takahiro feeds them every morning. He says it's because he wants them to shut up, but I know it's because he's a big softie under his usual standoffish demeanor. No, wait, I shouldn't be able to hear those birds. We moved out of that house to live in the Demon World. Shit, no, that isn't right either. I shouldn't be able to hear those birds, because I'm very sure their tree was destroyed. The whole block was destroyed, crushed under two fighting energies, so why am I hearing _those_ birds? Wait, why am I hearing anything?! I can remember dying. I remember the emptiness in my chest, I remember energy tearing through me, and I remember fighting to stay on my feet as my heartbeat slowed. I died!

"Corey!" My eyes open at the sound of the familiar voice, and I reach down to tear off the blanket covering me. I'm on my feet as soon as I'm free, and I accidentally rip the door off its hinges as I try to get out of the room. The door goes flying somewhere behind me, and my feet pound against the floor as I run.

"Takahiro!" Wide blue eyes meet mine as he runs full-speed towards me, and we collide in the middle of the hallway. Takahiro tips backwards after the collision, and we both go tumbling towards the ground. Takahiro is sprawled on his back with me lying on top of him, and our arms are wrapped so tight around each other that it's hard to breathe.

"I thought you were dead," Takahiro whispers against the top of my head. I manage to pull up just enough to see his face, but he isn't crying even though his voice had sounded thick. My chest feels tight with the need to cry, but I hold it in. Now isn't the time to have a sob-fest, which is what will happen if I allow myself to cry now.

"I thought you were too," I say quietly. Takahiro stopped breathing. I remember seeing him lying at my feet, not breathing, because he was dead. He was dead, and I was too.

"Is this the afterlife? Because it's really not what I imagined," Takahiro says and exhales something that resembles a laugh. I straighten up and fall to the side, flat on my ass on the floor, and Takahiro lifts himself up onto his elbows as he looks over at me.

"Maybe? I kinda doubt it though. If it's the afterlife, where's… _shit_." I trail off as the look in Takahiro's eyes darkens, and I've never seen my closest friend look so brittle. Like one wrong word is all that it'll take to shatter him completely. He takes a slow inhale and clenches his jaw, and he looks more like himself after he exhales.

"We'd be with them," he says. And he's right. If we actually are dead, we should be with them.

If I follow that logic, that means we're not dead. We're in our old house, the one we lived in when we lived in the Human World. That doesn't narrow things down much though, because we lived in the same house for over forty years. I look around the hallway at the framed pictures on the wall, and I can remember hanging them when I was thirteen. I smashed my thumb with a hammer and got blood on the wall while hanging a picture taken at Takahiro's adoption celebration, Takahiro and I are both smiling as we hold up the certificate that declares Takahiro as my brother, and Takahiro had laughed so hard as I cussed about my bleeding thumb that soda came out of his nose. _("Calm down, Corey. It's not like you lost an arm," Takahiro snorts.)_ The next framed picture should be our high school graduation picture, but it's the framed picture of mine and Takahiro's thirteenth birthday party instead. _(I have red frosting smeared across my lips and cheeks, and Takahiro is standing next to me with his arms crossed and his nose in the air.)_ Okay, so, that narrows things down a pretty good bit.

"So it's after our thirteenth birthdays but before the end of high school. So, somewhere between 1989 and 1994?" I ask. Can we really be back in the early nineties? How is that even possible? Takahiro's eyes meet mine as we think it over, and I nearly tip over in surprise when Takahiro suddenly jumps to his feet.

"Kitchen!" Takahiro takes off running while yelling, and I scramble to get to my feet and follow after him. When I reach the kitchen, Takahiro is exactly where I expect him to be. Standing in front of the refrigerator, arms crossed over his chest, and glasses sitting at the end of his nose. I slowly move over to where he's standing on my bare feet, and I have to take a deep breath before looking at the refrigerator door.

Our refrigerator door is a mess. I can't even see the silver color of the fridge through all of the papers and magnets stuck to the door. It's a mix of notes and lists written by Takahiro and me; there's a grocery list stuck to the top right penned in my sloppy scrawl, and there's a note on the bottom left in Takahiro's neat script that's a reminder (to me) that he's going to be out late studying on Thursday. There's random drawings and little inspirational notes as well, and looking at it all is overwhelming for a moment. I can't focus on any of that right now though. I need to look at the center of the freezer door. That's where the calendar is. My eyes track over the even squares until I can read the bolded date at the very top.

 _ **1990 October 13**_

"October of nineteen-ninety." My voice sounds far off, but that's probably the shock. I'm fourteen again, and I can feel it now. I'm weaker than I'm used to, and a part of me wants to panic. I can't be weaker, I need to be strong to survive, but I am.

"Did we dream it?" Takahiro looks over at me after he asks it, and the disbelief in his eyes is clear to see. My head has to tip back to meet his eyes, and I quickly think it over. On the one hand, a dream sounds more plausible than time travel. On the other hand?

"The same dream?" Takahiro taps his index finger against his chin as he thinks, and I turn back to look at the refrigerator. Little notes and random drawings…things that we took for granted are stamped all across the fridge door, and my stomach churns as I look at it.

"Not a dream then. What do we do now?" Not a dream. Twenty minutes ago, I stood in front of the strongest being I've ever met and yelled for him to kill me. Takahiro died, I died, but here we are. Standing in our old kitchen. What's the protocol for this sort of thing?

"There's only one thing we can do." Takahiro raises a brow in question at first when I look over at him, but his eyes quickly clear. Takahiro's always been smarter than me, so I'm not surprised on how fast he picks up on my train of thought. After realization floods his eyes, we speak as one. "Koenma."

"How do we contact him?" Takahiro asks. We normally just asked a Reaper to get into contact with him, but neither of us knew a Reaper at fourteen. We didn't really know anyone at fourteen. That just means I'll have to try my own version of praying.

"Yo, Koenma! I know you can fuckin' hear me! We need to talk now! Now!" I yell as I glare up at the ceiling. Takahiro leans against the counter across from me, and I hear him click his tongue in disapproval as I continue to shout and cuss. He's never liked my use of coarse language. "Dammit, Koenma! I'm not playin' around! We've got a serious fuckin' emergency on our hands! End of the world type of emergency! And if you don't answer me soon, I'm pickin' a fight with your precious Spirit Detective! I bet that'll get your attention! Or maybe I should—"

Before I can scream out another threat, there's a quiet popping sound. Koenma appears in the kitchen between Takahiro and me, floating several feet in the air, and it's strange to see him in his toddler form. When I first met him, which is apparently supposed to be a couple of decades from now, he'd looked like a teenager. (This timeline thing is already giving me a headache, and I haven't even tried to explain it to anyone yet.) Koenma's large brown eyes glare at me as he moves closer to my face, and he's all that I can see.

"Just who do you think you are, missy?! Don't you know who I am?!" Koenma yells. The voice sounds the same even if the appearance is different. That's somewhat comforting. I slump back against the refrigerator in relief, because at least something is still the same, and I can't help my smile as I look at Koenma.

"You're Koenma, son of Enma, and leader of the Spirit World. Do you know who I am?" I ask him. He pulls a small notepad out of the sleeve of his shirt, and I feel my face pulling down into a slight frown. If he's looking my file up, that means he doesn't know me personally. So much for my theory about him being the one behind this weird trip to the past.

"Corentine Ohayashi. The only child of the demon Kazuno and the human Tatsuo. Mother died in childbirth, father died this past April. Heart attack. Is that why you're threatening me? You want your father to be resurrected?" _Oh, shit_. How could I forget my dad's death? I missed seeing him by only a few months. If we'd been sent back a little farther, I would have been able to see him again. That's a selfish want though, and this is so much bigger than just me.

"No, that's not why I called you here." Koenma doesn't let me continue. Instead, he turns around to face Takahiro and clears his throat as he looks down at his notepad again.

"Takahiro Kurosawa. Only child of—"

"I don't want to know who my parents are," Takahiro interrupts quickly. Takahiro was raised in an orphanage, until my father adopted him when we were eight, and he's never wanted to know anything about his birth parents. He says he's better off not knowing, and maybe he's right. It's his decision. Koenma looks up at him in shock but recovers quickly, and he moves across the open space of air so that he can see both of us.

"Tell me, how does a half demon and a full demon hide in the Human World for as long as you two have?" Koenma asks us.

"By not being evil," Takahiro huffs.

"We were both born in this world, we were raised in this world, and we love this world. We don't wanna cause any problems," I say quickly.

"Then why am I here?!" Koenma yells and moves over to hover in front of me again. I really wish that he'd stop yelling at me, even though him yelling is familiar. I've already got the mother of all headaches, and I've got a feeling that it's only going to get worse before this day is over.

"Well, uh, sir, I'm not really sure how to explain it." My hand, _my right hand_ , raises to lightly grip the back of my neck. Less than an hour ago, I didn't even have a right arm. This whole thing is just too weird.

"Just spit it out so I can get back to work!"

"I think we just time traveled!"

Koenma's eyes go comically wide, and Takahiro snorts out a laugh behind him. My nails scratch against the nape of my neck, and I can feel my hair tickling across my forearm. It's long…when I was fourteen, my hair was halfway down my back. It wasn't cut off at my chin to make it easier to fight. I'm pulled out of my distracted thoughts as Koenma suddenly starts to laugh, and I can see Takahiro again as the ruler drops a little lower in the air as he laughs. His brows are raised in surprise and confusion, and he shrugs when I look curiously at him.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!" Koenma says between laughs. His hands press against his stomach as he just keeps going, and my surprise starts to turn into anger. Hot, blinding anger. "Next you'll be telling me that the world is ending!"

" _ **This is it. This is the end of all the worlds," Koenma says and looks solemnly around the room.**_

"It did end!" I yell and fist the front of Koenma's shirt. My body twists as I push Koenma's much smaller body against the refrigerator, papers flutter to the ground and crinkle under his back, and _this isn't right_. This isn't the Koenma that I know! It isn't right!

"Unhand me!" I can feel Takahiro's hands on my shoulders, he's trying to pull me back and calm me down, but I'm not backing down. Not until Koenma understands.

"We lost! We fought for you, and we lost! They died! They all died, one after the other! Kuwabara! Kurama! Hiei! Yusuke!" Saying their names hurts; I nearly want to choke on the familiar shapes of each name, but Koenma needs to hear the names. He needs to know that I'm not crazy. So I swallow the tears and keep going. "The greatest Spirit Detective Team lost! Do you have any idea what that was like?! Losin' a fuckin' arm hurt less than knowin' they were gone! And then we died! We held on as long as we could, and then we died! This isn't the afterlife I was lookin' forward to!"

My chest heaves as I try to control my breathing, and I do my best to drop my guard and let him _see_. I want him to see how broken I was not even a full hour ago. He needs to know that this is serious; the universe is going to end, and we're all going to die. My arm shakes as I hold him against the refrigerator, and I can feel Takahiro's forehead pressed against the top of my head. He's taking slow breaths, I can feel the exhales stirring my unbound hair, and Koenma's expression evens out.

"You have my attention." Relief floods me, and Takahiro pulls me backwards after I let Koenma go. The god floats in the air as he straightens out his shirt, and I let Takahiro continue to pull on me. He's talking quietly, like I'm some kind of spooked animal, as he leads me out of the kitchen and into the dining room. He pushes me into a chair at the kitchen table and then sits down across from me, and Koenma moves over closer to us.

The room is quiet as we all settle down after my little outburst. (Which felt pretty good, if I'm being honest.) Koenma is floating in midair over the center of the table so that we're both in his line of sight, and he keeps looking between the two of us. He's probably waiting for one of us to start talking, but I'm not sure about how to start. Koenma looks a little wary as well, like he's waiting for one of us to start yelling like a crazy person. I can admit that snapping wasn't my brightest idea ever, despite how good it felt, but at least it looks like Koenma is taking this seriously now. That's progress.

"How does the world end?" Koenma asks as Takahiro and I just stare at each other.

"Don't look at me. I don't know even know where to start," Takahiro sighs. So, that leaves the explaining to me. I can give a long and drawn out explanation, detail the entire story, or I can just simply sum it up. Koenma will probably take me more seriously if I don't ramble, and I can sum up the answer to his question with a single name.

"The world ends because of A—"

It feels as if my throat is catching fire as I try to say the name, and a strangled scream grates against my ears as my hands reach out. I can feel the wooden table cracking under my hands as my throat closes, and hot tears leak out of my eyes as my breathing cuts off. My jaw works as I try to talk, but I can't get a single sound out now. Koenma is right in front of me, and I can't even say that motherfucker's name! A sharp snapping sound echoes in the air and then I'm holding large broken off chunks of the table in my hands. Koenma and Takahiro are both looking at me curiously, and I toss the pieces of wood onto the floor.

"Well, that was unexpected," Takahiro says as I continue to struggle to breathe. "Does that mean we can't talk about him? Or any of them?"

"Them?" Koenma asks. I'm still not breathing normally and can't produce sounds, so it's up to Takahiro to answer him.

"Yes, them. It took more than one person to kill us all and end all three worlds. What do you think we are? Amateurs?" Takahiro huffs. Koenma's eyes widen just as I finally manage to take a deep breath, and he stuffs his hands in his sleeves as he looks between us.

"I think that you're children. You're only fourteen." I watch as Takahiro's eyes narrow in a glare behind his glasses, and I gently massage the base of my throat as I wait for Takahiro to reply. He's always hated being called a child or incompetent; he's always argued the point when someone tried to belittle him, as he calls it, even when he was fourteen.

"Only in these bodies. In spirit, we're nearly f—"

A strangled sound comes out of Takahiro's throat as his eyes go wide and start to water, and one of his fists comes down against the table. The cracks I'd already created finish shattering, and the table splinters and falls apart under Koenma's hovering form. Takahiro's lips move without making a sound, and his hands reach up to grip uselessly at his throat. It looks like we can't say anything too revealing. That's going to get old very quick.

"I'm starting to think that you two are great big fakers," Koenma says and looks critically at both of us. Takahiro is still choking soundlessly and trying to recover, but I feel okay. I think. I clear my throat and thankfully make a sound, and Koenma looks over at me.

"We're not fakin'," I croak. Koenma looks unimpressed, and I try to think. October 1990…what was going on back then? Wait…1990! Of-fucking-course! "The Dark Tournament starts in a couple of months. Yusuke should already be trainin' with Genkai by now, and Kuwabara is with Kurama. Hiei is, well, he's antisocial. You need another fighter to round out the Guest Team, but you already know that. You probably already know who the fifth fighter is going to be too."

"You're only proving that you are some kind of spy," Koenma says. Takahiro groans in frustration, but he's still carefully holding his throat so I don't think he's ready to try talking again just yet. I don't blame him. My throat feels like I frenched a blowtorch.

"If I was a spy, why would I call you here and reveal myself? That's the worst evil plot I've ever heard." Takahiro rolls his eyes, so I assume that he agrees with me. Koenma looks like he's thinking it over, and he hums a little before speaking again.

"I'm going to test you," Koenma says decisively.

"Test me how?" My voice sounds horrible, rough and yet still somehow squeaky. I need a glass of water, and we're going to need a new table if we're going to re-live our lives. (Is that what this is? Some kind of cosmic do-over?)

"I'll take you to Genkai. She has a way of determining the heart of a person, you could say." Seriously? Koenma wants Genkai to do _that_ to me? That's going to hurt like a motherfucker! It will prove that I'm not some crazy halfbreed hell-bent on world destruction though. That should make the pain worth it, right? I look over at Takahiro and raise a brow in question, and he slowly nods. It's decided then.

"Spirit Wave it is. How soon can we do it?" Koenma looks confused for a moment before his face reverts back into impassiveness, and I wait for his answer. Yusuke is at Genkai's now, training to face Toguro at the Dark Tournament. The first time around, Takahiro and I listened to the Dark Tournament on the radio. It'd been fascinating to listen to, because we didn't personally know anyone fighting in the tournament. At least, we didn't know them then.

"I'll go speak with Genkai immediately." The ruler disappears right after saying it, and I lean back in my chair. My feet knock against the broken pieces of the table on the floor as I slump in my seat, and Takahiro sighs. Probably because he hates messes. Well, he's going to have to suck it up for the time being, because we're in the biggest mess of our lives.

"This is really not good," Takahiro says quietly after a moment.

"So far from good," I agree. My head lolls back so I can look up at the ceiling, and I can't get over how normal I feel. I'm not bleeding, or hurting, or wearing my body out because I'm keeping my energy at a constant high level. I'm relaxed, and whole, and no one is currently trying to kill me.

"Corey?"

"Hmm?"

"What happens if we wake up back there?" I roll my head to the side so that I can see him, and he's lightly biting on the corner of his bottom lip. It's his go-to nervous habit.

If I wake up soon back in the world that's ending all around me, none of this will matter. Maybe my life is flashing before my eyes as my heart takes its last beat. This could be some kind of strange in-between life and death hallucination. A stopping point before oblivion. (There isn't an afterlife. It wasn't just the Human World that ended. The Demon World and the Spirit World ended too.) So if I blink and all of this is gone? If my eyes open and I'm standing in front of the asshole who murdered me in the street? Then all of this, being in our old apartment again, will have just been a tease. It'll have just been a tease, but it won't matter.

"I don't think we'll live long enough to get upset." Takahiro's sigh is shuddery, like his insides are shaking, but he looks steady.

"You make a good point."

We lapse into silence after that, and the next twenty minutes are nearly unbearable. The silence is only broken once during Koenma's absence. Takahiro asks if I want breakfast since it's only eight in the morning, but I have to turn down his culinary skills this time. My stomach feels like it's stuffed full of rocks, and my throat still feels raw. Takahiro must not feel up to eating either, because we both remain in our chairs on either side of the broken kitchen table.

When Koenma reappears in the kitchen after the longest twenty minutes of my life, we both jump. Koenma looks back and forth between us and then down at the fragmented table, and he tuts quietly under his breath before looking up again. He stuffs his hands into his sleeves and then says quietly, "Genkai will see you today. Yusuke is currently running an errand that should keep him busy for long enough to do what needs to be done."

"Let's get this over with then!" I say and stand up. Takahiro moves to stand as well, and we both look over at Koenma.

"In your PJs?" I look down at what I'm wearing and wrinkle my nose at the sight. Baggy bright pink sleep pants and a baggy white tee shirt. Maybe changing isn't the worst idea. "I have someone on the way to escort you. Go change and then we'll go."

"Aye, aye, sir." Footsteps follow behind me, so quiet I can barely hear them, and Takahiro reaches his room first. I continue farther down the hallway until I reach my own bedroom, and I wince a little as I look at my door. It's laying crookedly against the far wall of my bedroom, right next to my window, and the hinges have been ripped completely off. That's gonna be a bitch to fix, assuming I'm here to say.

My feet carry me over to the closet, it's more muscle memory than an actual thought process, and it's so strange to see my clothes lined up. I haven't had a closet in a while; my clothes have been stuffed into durable bags that were easy to carry, and the closest they've come to being washed is being dunked in a river. I can see my fingers trembling as I reach inside and grab my usual clothes, something familiar and comfortable, and I hold the small bundle close to my chest as I walk across the room. The clothes are placed carefully on my vanity, and I avoid looking in the mirror as I strip off my pajamas.

I can see pale skin, a splash of light blue from my panties, and I force myself to look up. It's just a mirror, nothing to be afraid of. It's just my reflection. I look exactly the way I remember being at fourteen. Only four-ten, because it'll be a couple of years before I stop growing at five feet even, which is why people underestimate me. I'm short and look slim from a distance, but I can see the faint outlines of muscle in my arms and abdomen. Smooth skin without any scars, because I haven't been injured badly enough to have scars yet. I twist around to look at my back, and the paleness of my back is only marred by a black marking. It's a bolt of lightning, but a realistic one. Starts on top of my right shoulder and cuts across the center of my back; one jagged line moves over my left shoulder blade, the longest line goes across the middle of my back to end on my left hip, and a third line dips down the right side of my back. I've had it my entire life, and my dad told me that it's the mark of being a lightning demon. Even if I am only half.

I stretch my right arm out as I turn back around and flex my fingers, and it feels amazing to see the muscles moving under my skin. A few days ago, my right arm was severed above my elbow. I'd been able to stop the bleeding until I could be healed, but I hadn't had the time to recover my arm. I lean forward so that I can see my face better in the mirror, and I use the tips of my fingers to pull down the skin under my right eye. My eyes are the same medium blue as always, and there's no deep circles under them. My cheeks aren't gaunt anymore either. I bare my teeth, all blunt human teeth with no fangs, and then open my mouth wide to see if all my teeth are accounted for. Last month, I'd lost a couple of my back teeth after being thrown through a concrete building. Well, several concrete buildings. Face first. My teeth had been slow about growing back, but I have all of my teeth now.

After determining that my body is just like it was when I was fourteen, I straighten up and reach for my clothes. I'm already wearing a pair of light blue panties, so I quickly pull up a pair of tight denim shorts that stop high up on my thighs. Next is a white binder, because my breasts are a little fuller than I'd like. It's easier to fight if I wear a binder, and this one is strapless. Then I pick up a black tank, which slips over my head with ease and hangs on me because it's baggy. The bottom of it nearly reaches the end of my shorts. Last I pull on a pair of fingerless black leather gloves, and I give my fingers a little wiggle once they're on. I'm not going to put on any kind of shoes, so all that's left is my hair. My long copper colored hair, it's not orange, has always been stubbornly straight and easy to manage. My fingers comb through it quickly and pull it up into a high ponytail, and my bangs are left to fall over my brow.

My eyes make a quick sweep of the room, and I pad over to the nightstand next to my bed. The single drawer opens easily, and I blink down at the only contents before shaking myself out of the strong sense of nostalgia. A black leather straps circle around my waist and slips through the belt loops on my shorts, and I take a moment to pull at the strap to make sure that it's buckled securely. With that done, I pull out the two ring daggers. Silver handles and silver blades; the ring daggers easily slide inside of the holster, the blades are sitting on top of each other with the right dagger a little higher than the left one, and I breathe a little easier once they're in place. It feels better to have a weapon on me. I glance over at the long silver staff propped up against the wall next to my bedroom doorway, but I'll have to leave Valkyrie behind today. Betty and Veronica should be enough.

"Yo! We ready yet?!" I yell as I walk out of my room and into the hallway. A door creaks open, and Takahiro steps out of his room as I reach the halfway point between our rooms.

Takahiro looks the way he used to, before we were constantly fighting to stay alive. His five-five frame looks healthy and strong instead of malnourished and weak, and I can see outlines of the strong muscles in his forearms because the black button-up shirt he's wearing has the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He's wearing a pair of light gray jeans, and I know that we'll have to buy him all new pants next summer because he's going to shoot up to six feet. Unlike me, he's wearing black sneakers that'll be easy to run in. His messy black hair is falling over his brow and across his rectangular glasses, and his dark blue eyes look wide behind the frames. _("My eyes are cobalt, not just a boring plain ol' blue. And your eyes are like…steel! Steel blue! A serious color for a serious man," I say not even a full hour after meeting the other five year old.)_ Looks like I'm not the only one who felt a little lost while getting dressed. Maybe it's because he's not carrying his sword?

"I'm ready if you are," Takahiro says and lets his lips tilt in a smirk. That gets me to smile, outright, and I prop my hands on my hips.

"It's not like we've got much of a choice, right? Because I'm _dying_ to know what the hell is goin' on." I stretch out _dying_ even slower than my usual drawling pronunciation, and Takahiro pointedly rolls his eyes.

"Not funny." I shrug, because it's either self-medicate with humor or scream until I pass out, and Takahiro pauses at the doorway leading into the combined living room and dining room. I stop next to him and then tilt my head back to meet his eyes, and I can hear Koenma talking to someone in the dining room.

"What's that look for?" He still looks a little lost, and Takahiro is usually very good at holding a poker face. If he's showing emotion, it's either because he wants to or because it's too much for him to hold back.

"I smell like fur and…what are you always calling it…a light wind breezing through a field." I can feel my brows drawing together in confusion, because…what? Then it clicks. Ever since the fight to save the worlds began, personal hygiene had taken a backseat to surviving. Our primary scent became sweat, blood, and death. At fourteen, we didn't have that problem. Takahiro smells like fur because he's a dog demon, a full blooded dog demon, and I'm not sure why he smells like a light breeze drifting through a grassy field. He just does. I tuck my chin against my chest and take a deep breath, and my once familiar scent washes over me.

"I smell like ozone and cinnamon," I say and grin wide enough to bare my teeth. Ozone, the sharp and clean scent that lightning leaves behind after striking. Cinnamon, like the candy sticks that I always have hidden in my pockets.

"Corentine! Takahiro! I don't have all day, you know!" Koenma yells. Takahiro snorts while I laugh quietly, just for a few seconds, and then I straighten up a little as I meet Takahiro's eyes.

"We're going to figure this out." My voice sounds far more confident than I feel.

"I really hope so," Takahiro sighs and takes that first step. We walk into the dining room together, and we both freeze as bubblegum pink eyes look curiously over at us. _Of-fucking-course_ Koenma got Botan to escort us. Who else would he choose? "Do not cry."

"I'm not going to cry," I snap and glare over at Takahiro. His brows raise in a clear look of disbelief, and I stubbornly cross my arms as I square my jaw.

"You cried when—"

"So did you! So did everyone!"

"You tend to be more emotional than I am."

"Do not!"

"There's nothing wrong with it, Corey. Just don't cry."

"I'm not going to cry!"

"Um, what are they talking about?" The quiet voice catches me off-guard, and Takahiro's eyes widen just a little. Seeing her had hurt, but hearing her voice makes me feel cold. Shit, Takahiro might be right. I might actually cry.

"Absolutely no idea, which is why we're going to see Master Genkai. Demons, this is—"

"Botan. Nice to meet you, I'm Takahiro. This is Corey." I lift my hand to wiggle my fingers in a wave, and Botan's face shifts in a genuine smile. She looks exactly the same. Long powder blue hair in a ponytail, shining bright pink eyes, and a sweet smile.

"Nice to meet you too! It's not every day that I get to meet time travelers," Botan says with a quiet laugh. When Takahiro and I just stare blankly at her, because I can't think of a single thing to say, Botan laughs nervously and summons her oar. "So, have either of you ever traveled by oar?"

"Well, actually—" A strong cough stops me from finishing my reply, from telling Botan that we've traveled by _her_ oar plenty of times, and Takahiro sighs next to me.

"I told you not to cry."

"I'm not crying! My throat's sore!"

"Then you should stop yelling."

"But I'm just so emotional," I say from between clenched teeth. Takahiro reaches over to pat the shoulder closest to him, it's a gesture that we nicknamed the pity-pat, and I feel my lip curling as I snarl quietly.

"If you two are done!" Koenma yells and nods his head towards Botan.

"Yeah, yeah, we're comin'. Hold onto your pacifier," I grumble and march over to a loudly laughing Botan. Koenma is looking over at her with a displeased expression, and I can feel Takahiro's chin digging into my shoulder as he leans against my back.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir! It's just, doesn't that sound _exactly_ like something Yusuke would say?" Botan asks as her cheeks flush a pretty pink color. Her innocent observation causes my stomach to twist painfully as my breathing cuts off for a moment, because that's where I learned that phrase. Takahiro's nose brushes under my ear as I breathe normally, and Koenma is yelling as Botan continues to laugh.

"Deep breaths, Core, and no crying." I can't even get mad at him for that one, because it really does feel like I'm going to breakdown. If we don't figure this out soon, I'm going to lose my fucking mind. Koenma will have to lock me up in a padded cell to wait out the end of the world, and won't that just be a waste of time travel?

"We leavin' or what?" Koenma stops yelling to glare over at me, and Botan hops up onto her oar as soon as Koenma focuses his attention elsewhere. Before Botan can give us instructions, Takahiro and I both reach up and grab the end of the oar behind where Botan's sitting. We both know the drill.

"I'll meet you there," Koenma says and disappears from view. Takahiro snorts behind me, it somehow manages to sound refined, and Botan looks down at us.

"Ready to go?" she asks. The door that leads out onto the porch next to the dining room is open, so we'll be able to fly outside with ease.

"Absolutely not, but it's not like we really have a choice. Whisk us away, Blue!" Pink eyes look curiously down at me before Botan takes off, and a sharp pain over my right kidney lets me know that Takahiro isn't pleased with my use of Botan's nickname. Botan's future nickname. This is so confusing!

The trip to Genkai's is quiet. I'm lost in my own thoughts, I'm assuming Takahiro is lost in his own thoughts as well, and Botan hums quietly as she flies us at breakneck speeds over the city and then over the countryside. Takahiro gently nudges my back with his elbow this time as we fly over the temple steps, and my throat feels tight as we pass through the barrier that surrounds Genkai's property. The Spirit Detective is around here somewhere…he's here, but I can't see him. Who knows? Maybe seeing him too early will disrupt the entire timeline. That might be a good thing, considering how our timeline eventually ends, but it could also cause something worse. The timeline might end even sooner. My rambling thoughts quiet as we reach the temple, and Koenma and Genkai are already waiting outside in the courtyard. Botan flies us down until our feet can touch the ground, and she slips off her oar once we're standing on our own.

"You know why you're here?" Genkai asks and looks between us. I never got the chance to meet Genkai; she died before we met the others, but I've heard stories about her. So many stories. She's shorter than I imagined.

"So you can stab your finger in our hearts and see if we're evil," I state and grin. Genkai grunts in her hoarse voice, and wind stirs the gray hair lying against her shoulders.

"That's about it. Who wants to go first?" I look over at Takahiro and raise a brow, and he crosses his arms as he looks at me over his glasses.

"Big sisters go first," he says and smirks down at me. Dammit, my own childhood is being used against me!

" _Big sisters go first, Takahiro! In case there's danger!" my eight year old self decrees._

" _You're only a month older!" eight year old Takahiro protests._

" _Don't matter! It's my job, as your big sister, to protect you! I'm goin' in!" My childish voice lets out a loud war cry before running recklessly into the dark cave, and Takahiro's sure steps run after me._

"Shoulda known that was gonna come back to bite me. Alright, Grandma." Faded honey eyes narrow as I bare my teeth in a grin and spread my arms out, and I tilt my chin up to leave my torso completely exposed. "Hit me with your best shot!"

"Smart ass," is the last thing I hear before Genkai starts.

I can see her lips moving as she starts the chant that powers the Spirit Wave, but it just sounds like rushing water to my ears. Is that a good sign? I'm definitely not evil, I died fighting the good fight, but I don't know if that's enough to make me _good_. The courtyard lights up as blue energy surrounds everything, and I can still see Genkai's lips moving as that energy spreads everywhere. It's not oppressive; it's more like a protective feeling, and I wink at Genkai before letting my head fall back. I can't even see the sky because of Genkai's giant sphere of energy surrounding us, but that's okay. I'll see it when this is over.

Two fingers jab inside my chest, it's a sharp pinpoint of pain, and I lock my teeth. Can't scream like a bitch in front of _the_ Genkai. I don't want her to think I'm some kind of weakling. There's another surge of power, this time that rips through me instead of surrounding me, and I start falling back as soon as Genkai moves away from me. I know she's stabbing her fingers into Takahiro now, but I can't look over and see how Takahiro is handling it. My back hits the ground as my vision goes dark…and then I can see…eyes? Eyes that are light and dark, that can flash between sarcastic humor and deathly seriousness in the span of a heartbeat, and these eyes are home. Home and irritation and warmth and stupidity and love.

My eyes clench shut as I shake my head, because I can't see _him_ now. I have to figure this whole time travel thing out, and I won't be able to do that if I get stuck on _him_. So I push those eyes into the back of my mind and lock them up in some dark hidden corner. When my eyes peek open again, I can only see the stretch of light blue sky. My chest still feels like it's on fire, and my energy has been completely drained. Demon energy and spirit energy both.

"Holy fuck, I've got the worst case of heartburn I've ever had in my life," I groan as I rock onto my side. I can hear Takahiro moving behind me, so it looks like we both passed. It's good to know that my best friend, and adopted brother, isn't evil at heart.

"Anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?" Genkai rasps as I push myself onto my hands and knees. My head feels like it weighs a ton, hanging limply between my shaking arms, but I force myself to look up and meet the older woman's eyes. (Even with the added years on my memories, Genkai's still older than me.)

"All the time. Right, Takahiro?"

"Shut up."

"See?" Knees…gotta make it to my knees. Sweat is beading across my brow and along my upper lip by the time I finally straighten my spine, and it's hard to tell but I think Genkai looks impressed. Next to me, Takahiro is still on his hands and knees. With one last quiet curse, I push myself to stand on my shaky legs. It takes a moment before I'm sure that I'll be able to hold the standing position and then I shuffle over to Takahiro. "Up and at 'em."

Takahiro's palm claps against mine, and I lock my knees and hips as I pull on him. He blows out a long breath once he's on his feet, and I can just make out the edges of his lips tipping upwards. Yeah, we just survived Genkai's Spirit Wave. We deserve to smile a little proudly. After Takahiro straightens up completely, I move his arm around my shoulders and support his weight with a quiet grunt. Then, as one, we look out in front of us. Genkai is standing between Koenma and Botan on her porch, and she grunts once before turning on her heel and walking inside of the temple. Botan has her hands clasped together and held under her chin, and she smiles wide enough to cause dimples to appear in her cheeks as Takahiro and I take our first step forward.

"It appears we have much to discuss. Come along, children," Koenma says and moves into the temple after Genkai. Botan waits for us on the porch, and she follows behind us as we walk into the temple. Genkai and Koenma haven't gone far, so thank Enma for small mercies, and Takahiro and I collapse onto empty cushions around a low table.

"Say the name of the person who destroys the world," Genkai demands. I look over at Koenma as Takahiro crosses his arms, definitely his go-to stubborn pose, and I raise a brow as Koenma stares impassively back at me.

"She wants to see what happens for herself," Koenma explains after an entire minute of intense staring. I'm not even that surprised, but I wanted to hear him say it. Now he has. I look over at Takahiro, who's still sitting rigidly with his arms crossed stubbornly, and he looks at me from the corner of his eye.

"One of us is going to have to do it. If I do it, the rest of the explaining will be up to you." Takahiro's head tilts to the side as he thinks, I bite my tongue to keep from making any canine comparisons, and his knuckles turn white as he tightly grips his biceps.

"A—" Just like earlier, Takahiro's voice is cut off before he can get past the first letter. His fingers dig into his arms deep enough to draw blood as he bites through the left corner of his bottom lip, and my eyes widen as blood streaks down his chin.

 _ **Takahiro is on his knees next to me and still gripping my hand; blood is dripping off the right side of his chin because he's bitten through his bottom lip, because we know that we're the last ones standing now.**_

"Shh, Takahiro. I've got ya. I'll clean ya up," I whisper and carefully press my glove-covered right hand against his chin. The blood wipes off easily, and I hold the heel of my hand against the split part of his lip to stop any more blood from falling.

"Write it down," Genkai says in that same demanding tone after I pull away from Takahiro's face. His dark blue eyes are still surrounded by broken blood vessels and he's struggling to breathe, but he'll be okay. Takahiro's tough.

"The name?" I ask and look down at the table. There's a single sheet of paper and a pen, and I start to reach forward with my right hand. Streaks of maroon against my fingers catch my eye, from cleaning up Takahiro's face, and my nose wrinkles up a little. I stop before I can pick up the pen and just look down at my dominant hand. "Ya know, I lost this arm a few days ago. Clean cut. Watched it get tossed halfway across a city where I couldn't get to it. I was tryin' to accept the fact that I was down an arm before I died, but this is my _fighting_ arm. I punch with this arm, summon my lightning with this arm, and I even prefer to twirl my staff with this arm. I ain't riskin' it."

"A smartass and a rambler. That's an unfortunate combination." I look over at Genkai as I move my right arm back to my side, and I pointedly lift up onto my left side and then sit down on my right hand. It's staying under my body, protected, until Koenma and Genkai are done testing us.

"I tend to grow on people. Like a fungus." Holding the pen in my left hand feels a little awkward, but I'll make it work. I'm not taking any chances with my right arm. I lean back a little as I touch the pen to the paper, and for a second I think that this might work. I get a single line written down and then start on the next one, and that's when it all falls apart.

A quick bark of pain escapes me as the fingers holding the pen twist into unnatural positions, and a small cloud of blood sprays out over my hand. Everyone sitting around the table leans back away from the sudden miniature rainfall of blood, except for Genkai, and I groan as the blood drips down across the table and my hand. My hand and glove are covered in several deep cuts, three of my fingers are broken in multiple places, and my headache upgrades into a migraine. Botan looks slightly horrified, Koenma looks a little sick, Takahiro looks smug, and Genkai looks…like Genkai.

"She didn't fake that. She doesn't have the energy to pull something like that off," Genkai says and looks over at Koenma.

"So you believe us then?" I ask. I won't be surprised if they say no, but I'm feeling optimistic. My hand has even stopped bleeding! That has to be a good sign, right?

"Who wins the Dark Tournament?" Genkai counters. _Shit_. We can't say who ends the world or even how old we actually are, so can we talk about the things that haven't happened yet? Genkai's faded, but still sharp, eyes hold mine as she waits for an answer. I remember the story of the Dark Tournament…Genkai went to the tournament knowing what was going to happen to her there, so she must have had her predictions even this early on.

"Exactly who you think will," I say and smile as genuinely as possible. Not a feral grin or a sarcastic smirk; an honest-to-goodness smile is on my face, and Genkai dips her chin the smallest amount.

"Two dead kids from the future…Do you know my future?" Genkai asks next.

"Yes, unless we completely fuck it up somehow," I answer honestly. Time travel always has repercussions, so I'm sure we're going to mess some things up.

"Do you know my apprentice's future?" I look over at Takahiro at that question, and I feel him lightly squeeze my right forearm before he answers.

"We do. Him and his team, they're our friends. We fought with them to try and save the world," Takahiro says and shrugs. Try…we tried, and we failed.

"When did you meet them?" Takahiro growls quietly at Genkai's question this time, because the last time he tried to say an age…well, we all remember what happened. Some of us more vividly than others.

"Not for a long while yet. We were definitely much older than fourteen," I say slowly. Since I didn't say an age, there's no kind of pain. That's a relief. Genkai looks over at Koenma, and it looks as if the two of them are communicating without words. Weird.

"The world ends…which one?" Genkai asks without looking away from the bloody tabletop. Takahiro leans back so that he's supporting himself on his palms, and I know that's his way of saying that he's going to leave the rest of the talking to me.

"All three."

"You two were the last ones standing?"

"Essentially."

"You died and woke up earlier in your timeline?"

"Yup."

"A part of your timeline before you knew the people you'd fight beside?"

"Uh-huh."

"So you understand what you have to do?"

"Not a single fuckin' clue."

Genkai finally looks away from the table and up at me, and I raise a brow as our eyes meet. I woke up this morning over twenty years in the past; I've got no fucking idea what we're supposed to do, and I don't understand why we've been sent back. Are we supposed to change things? I'm assuming so, but when? Some things can't be changed. Some things have to happen exactly as they did, or the worlds will be destroyed a little ahead of schedule. Genkai huffs at my continued clueless look, and I'd bet my right pinky finger (not the whole arm) that she's itching to call me a dimwit. Possibly itching to hit me too.

"Both of you have to try to make a difference. To change things. You know what's coming, so you are the only ones that know how to prepare." That makes some degree of sense. The only problem is that I have no idea how to prepare. A part of the reason why we lost is because we didn't understand anything about the assholes we were fighting. We underestimated them. I can make sure that we don't underestimate anyone this time around, but I don't think it'll help much. "And there's one more thing."

"There is?" I ask. Takahiro hums over my shoulder as he leans against my side, and I stop sitting on my right hand so I can reach up to lightly pat his cheek.

"One of you is going to fight in the Dark Tournament as the fifth member." Takahiro snorts quietly while I laugh, loudly and possibly a little hysterically, and I have to reach up and use my forearms to brush away the tears gathered in the corners of my eyes. (I can't use either of my hands, because both of them are stained with blood. Mine and Takahiro's. Is that a bad omen?)

"Yeah, no, that's not gonna happen. You _have_ to fight in the Dark Tournament, but you already know that," I say and point a finger at Genkai's blank face.

"I don't have to enter to do what needs to be done." My nose wrinkles up at that as I think it over, and the heavy feeling in my stomach sinks a little lower.

"Well, you might have a point there, but it's a bad idea. That tournament is pretty fuckin' important, and you're a really big part of that. I gotta feelin' I can't say _why_ it's such a big deal, so let's just say the fate of the universe depends on you—"

"—being there. It depends on me being there. I'm too old to fight in another tournament," Genkai interjects. She might be getting on up there in age, but she can still fight with the best of them. Hell, she fights better than the best of them.

"No, I'm sorry, but my answer is no," I say and shake my head. Genkai's eyes narrow, and I can see three sets of eyes watching our exchange very carefully. Like we're a very interesting tennis match.

"What's worth letting the universe end?" Now, that's just an unfair thing to ask. If Takahiro and I both refuse to fight, the Dark Tournament will unfold the way it's meant to. That has nothing to do with how it all ends.

"The only thing that'll come out of us going to the Dark Tournament is a joint mental breakdown. That's all." They'll be there…all of them. The whole team in one place; I can't handle that, and I don't think Takahiro can either.

"What will come out of it is you bonding with your future team a little sooner! Maybe, if you fight together sooner, you'll fight better when it counts!" Genkai snaps.

"Oh, fuck that! We didn't lose because of piss poor teamwork! We lost because they were better!" I yell back. Thin fingers grip my shoulder with a deceptive amount of force, and my neck cracks as I quickly look over. Takahiro's dark eyes have darkened so much they look black, and his lips are set in a thin line.

"We were lazy, before we met them. We were strong enough to feel safe in a time of peace, but we were lazy. If you fight with them now, you'll get stronger earlier. I'll get stronger earlier," Takahiro says quietly. He's talking to me, as if the others aren't in the room.

"We can get stronger on our own now that we know what's coming. We don't have to put ourselves through _that_. They can't make us." My voice comes out in a rushed whisper, panicky and nothing like my usual lazy way of speaking. Takahiro can't ask me to do this. If Takahiro is the one asking, I'll do it. Enma save us all, I'll fucking do it.

"We didn't know them for long enough. We'll get stronger, we'll fight beside them for longer…This can be a good thing, Corey. We can have more _time_ with them." Takahiro's eyelashes are clumped together from moisture that he'll never let fall, and I can see the lighter gray flecks in his eyes as his forehead presses tight against mine. We're sharing breath now. His hands are cupping the sides of my head, because he knows that I'll want to pull away when it all becomes too much. So he's holding on. My hands reach up to lightly grip his wrists, and I can feel the sharp press of bone under his pale skin. My hold tightens, but I don't want to push him away. I just need the contact.

"But they're not ours. They're not ours yet, and they're not going to be for a very long time. Don't ask me to…don't ask me to watch them, to watch _him_ , when we both know that I won't be able to…I can't do it. Sorry, Takahiro, I can't this time. Don't ask me to." My eyes are burning, but I can't cry. If I start, I won't be able to stop. Can't cry in front of _the_ Genkai and the leader of Spirit World.

"I'm not asking for me, and I'm not asking for you." Because I'm small in the scheme of things, right? It's not about me. "I'm not asking for the ones we're going to meet in this timeline, because I have a feeling that we're going to irreparably damage this one." Takahiro is probably right. We're here to change things, I'm assuming. Damage is inescapable. The ones in this timeline will probably be changed as a result. They'll never be ours. "I'm asking you to do it for _them_. For our team, the one that's gone. Do it so that this team doesn't become _them_."

"Why can't you do it?" My voice breaks somewhere in the middle, I'm not even sure on which word, and Takahiro tilts his head so that his nose lightly brushes against mine. It's what I used to do whenever he snuck into my bed after a nightmare. It's comforting, or it would be if it didn't feel like something inside of me is ripping me apart.

"As much as I hate to admit it, you're stronger than me, halfbreed," Takahiro whispers and lets out a choked laugh. _Fuck_ , he's right. Between the two of us, I'm the stronger one. It's because I have spirit energy to back up my demon energy. Takahiro has good points, and he's asking me to do this. For _our_ friends. I can't say no.

"I'll fight," I start. Fingers flex in my hair, and I want to let go so bad. I want to cry and scream; I won't be able to take a full breath until this weight comes off my chest, and I can already feel myself starting to break. How am I going to survive being around them if I can barely even hold myself together while thinking about them?

"Because good guys stick together," Takahiro finishes. _He_ said that, when we were first told about the big fight coming our way. Said it with a cocky smirk and well-earned bravado, and I believed in _him_. Wait, no, that's past tense. Maybe he's not the same person at this point, maybe he'll never turn into the person I knew, but who he is at his core is going to be the same. I believe in him, so I have to do this.

"Fuck it. I'm in." Takahiro presses his forehead harder against mine for a moment as a sigh of relief washes over the lower half of my face, and Takahiro lets me go. I take a breath before looking over at Genkai, and I can see Botan and Koenma as the old woman meets my eyes. Botan has a few wet tracks on her cheeks, tears that she missed wiping away, and Koenma looks a little lost.

"You love them. Both of you, you love them," Genkai says. I glance over at Takahiro, and he just shrugs as if to say, _"Yeah, we do. And?"_

"Love 'em so much that we followed them into a war. Love 'em so much that we stayed next to them on the frontlines even after we realized we'd lost." I can still hear quiet voices and even quieter laughter, see flickering flames as we huddled in close for warmth, and I can remember the desperation I felt to keep my eyes open despite bone-deep exhaustion. Just so I could keep looking at them, just so I could stay with them for a little bit longer. If that isn't love, I don't know what is.

"Botan, Genkai, and I will keep this to ourselves. The rest of the team doesn't need to know, not yet. I will find a way to get you onto the team that they shouldn't question too much. Botan can take you back home now." Koenma's tone is quiet and somber, and I hear Takahiro make a quiet clicking sound with his tongue behind me.

"No thanks, Blue. We'll run it," Takahiro says and gets to his feet. Hands grip my upper arms, right under my pits, and my eyes widen the smallest amount as Takahiro pulls me to my feet. "I know she doesn't look like much, but she's strong for a halfbreed. We won't let you down, sir. Come on, Corey, let's go run off some steam."

"We won't let you down," I echo as Takahiro pulls me from the room. He keeps pulling on me until we're outside the temple, and my feet stop after we reach the courtyard. There's trees on the other side of the space, a thick forest. "He's out there, somewhere, but I can't feel him."

"You'll get to see him soon enough. We'll see all of them soon. Until then, let's go home."

Takahiro keeps a tight hold on my wrist until we're an hour's run away from the temple, like he's afraid that I'll go running back if he lets go. It's not an irrational fear. Without him to anchor me, I might run back. I don't know where the others are at this point…Kuwabara and Kurama are training somewhere but never really mentioned where exactly, Hiei had barely mentioned his training at all, but Yusuke is at Genkai's. We know his general location, but we can't see him yet. I'm still too scared to see any of them, really, but at the same time I _need_ to see them. To know that Takahiro and I aren't going to be alone.

Half an hour away from home, twenty minutes if we push ourselves, I start to stumble. Takahiro slows to a stop and just watches as I stagger over a few roots before stopping in front of a tree, and the bark is rough against my hands as I lean against it.

" _ **Share the cloak of never-ending warmth, Nightman." Dark red eyes glitter in the darkness, and I get a little lost as I watch the way that the flames from the fire dance in Hiei's eyes. I hope he's listening to my thoughts right now. He always gets so angry when I get poetic about him, and I could use the laugh tonight.**_

" _ **What are you blathering on about this time?" Hiei asks as I scoot closer to him. We're sitting on the hard frozen ground, because the weather is all out of whack. It's freezing in the middle of summer.**_

" _ **Cloak of never-ending warmth, that's actually you, the fire demon. Nightman is from a song. You can ignore that part, if you share some warmth." Hiei grunts and doesn't make a move, and I widen my eyes as I poke my bottom lip out in a pronounced pout.**_

" _ **You look ridiculous."**_

" _ **Says the dude with a third eye!"**_

" _ **Halfbreed!"**_

" _ **Outcast!"**_

" _ **Nuisance!"**_

" _ **Asshole!"**_

 _ **Hiei stares at me for what should be an uncomfortable amount of time, but I know Hiei's testing me. After forty-three seconds of an intense glaring contest, Hiei closes his eyes and lets out a quiet sigh. "What the hell. It's not like I'll live long enough to regret it." Hiei shifts under the thick fabric of his cloak and then holds one arm out, and I can see a glimpse of his bare ribcage. It's still bruised and covered in dried blood, so he must not be fully recovered yet. Still, I'm not passing this opportunity for warmth up.**_

" _ **That's the spirit!" I yell and dive under the edge of the cloak. Hiei feels like a furnace against my side, and my body gives a harsh shiver as half of me acclimates to the extreme temperature change.**_

" _ **Hiei's sharing?! I want in!" My scream sounds shrill to my ears as weight pushes against my opposite side, and I can hear Hiei growling as I turn my head to glare at the idiot now curled up against me. Hiei's cloak is draped over his upraised knees and one of his feet, but that's it.**_

" _ **No one invited you, detective," Hiei growls.**_

" _ **Aw, come on! It's freezing out here!" Hiei sniffs and looks away, and I should have turned away at the same time. As soon as Hiei looks away, wide brown eyes meet mine. "You wouldn't turn me away, would ya, Corey?"**_

 _ **Yusuke looks ridiculous. His hair is sticking up all over the place, he's streaked with dirt, and I'm pretty sure that's blood on his cheek. Nothing about him is endearing. Since we've all been stuck together, I know how long it's been since his last bath. (I know how long it's been since everyone's last bath, and none of us are going to be winning any beauty pageants any time soon.) My torso shifts and part of my arm moves, trying to follow through on my instinct to wrap an arm around his shoulders, but that arm is gone now. His face drops the pleading pout instantly, and I smile before he can say something stupid. Like apologizing again for something he had no control over.**_

" _ **Of course I wouldn't turn you away, oh fearless leader," I say and knock my temple against his arm. Then I immediately cuddle up against Hiei's side again.**_

" _ **Hey, Hiei, I think Corey's lips are turnin' blue. Help me warm her up," Yusuke says. That's his leader voice, and I'm not even all that surprised when Hiei complies with the order. (Hiei's an asshole and doesn't know how to say anything nice, but he's still my friend. One of my closest friends, and I know he cares in his own way.) Two extremely warm arms wrap around the lower part of my waist, and Hiei turns his head away from me as his chest pushes up against my left arm.**_

" _ **My heroes," I croon.**_

" _ **Damn straight," Yusuke says as his arms wrap around me. He's holding onto me higher up than Hiei is, and I narrow my eyes as his arms wiggle around. His forearm is pushing against the underside of my breasts, but I can't summon any anger. Yusuke's just…being Yusuke.**_

" _ **You look cozy, Corentine."**_

" _ **Right back atcha, Hiro."**_

 _ **Takahiro is sitting on the other side of the fire between Kurama and Kuwabara, and all three of them are packed in tight so they can all fit under a single blanket. Shizuru is sitting in front of Takahiro and leaning her head back against his shoulder, and it's the shoulder that's closest to Kuwabara. They really do look cozy, and this is the most relaxed that I've seen everyone in a very long time. Probably because it's almost over.**_

" _ **Urameshi! Sing us a campfire song!" Kuwabara yells across the fire with a laugh. The other three sitting with him immediately start cheering and shouting out requests, and I look up just in time to see a little color rise in Yusuke's cheeks.**_

" _ **Your people have made their demands. Whatcha gonna do about it?" I ask him and grin.**_

" _ **You wanna hear me sing? Me?" he asks and tilts his head to the side. Hiei snorts, that's his way of laughing, and I make my smile a little less teasing and a little more genuine.**_

" _ **Yeah, dummy, we wanna hear you sing. Unless you're too chickenshit?" The challenge is what does it; a different kind of fire lights his eyes up, and Shizuru and Kurama both start clapping as Yusuke yells for them to shut up so he can concentrate.**_

 _ **After a little more yelling and teasing, everyone quiets down and Yusuke grumbles a little before dropping his head onto the top of mine. That's the curse of being short; I'm a prop for the great Yusuke Urameshi, but I'm not going to complain because he's putting out nearly as much heat as Hiei. Yusuke finally starts to sing, and I quickly take a look around the campfire. Hiei is looking off to the side, still, but he doesn't look as pissed off as usual. Kurama's eyes are closed as he leans against Takahiro's opposite shoulder, Shizuru is braving the cold to reach out of the blanket and play with Kuwabara's hair, and Kuwabara is humming along quietly with Yusuke. Takahiro's eyes meet mine, and one side of his lips tilt up into a smile. We're probably all going to die tomorrow, but there's nowhere else I'd rather be.**_

I'm on my knees; I'm kneeling in the dirt, and I can't breathe because I'm crying too hard. My chest is heaving from deep wet sobs, and my fists are repeatedly hitting the hard ground. Over and over. My energy is weaker than I'm used to, especially after experiencing Genkai's Spirit Wave, but it's more than I had when I died. It's enough for me to start digging a crater with the force of just my fists. No extra energy is required for that. A scream causes my ears to ring, because I can't hold it in anymore.

" _ **Go to sleep, Ohayashi."**_

" _ **You ain't the boss of me, Urameshi."**_

 _ **My eyes peek open after saying it, and Yusuke is already glaring at me. The fire has died down, and we're supposed to be sleeping. Hiei's a hot line along my back, because he told me that I wasn't allowed to face him while we slept. So his back is pressed against mine, and his cloak is spread out to cover us and Yusuke. Yusuke, who is supposed to be sleeping, is facing me. Which goes against our agreement. He's supposed to sleep with his back to me.**_

" _ **You gotta sleep. Big day tomorrow." I hum a little in answer, because I know that tomorrow is a big day. Tomorrow, we either win or lose. I have faith in Yusuke, but I'm preparing for the worst. "I mean it, Corey. No bullshit."**_

" _ **No bullshit," I mumble sleepily. I am tired, I'm always tired, but I don't think I'm ready to sleep. I force my eyes to stay open, and Yusuke's wearing his serious face.**_

" _ **You're going to fight tomorrow." My eyes have slipped closed, I'm not even sure when that happened, and when I open my eyes Yusuke's still looking at me.**_

" _ **Duh," I sigh. We're all going to fight tomorrow. We're going to separate, but we're all going to fight. For as long as we can.**_

" _ **Say you promise." I make a quiet huffing sound and then I make a quiet yelping sound as a sharp pain explodes over my left shin. Yusuke's hand claps against my mouth before I can start yelling at him, which is exactly what I want to do, and Yusuke leans closer to me. All I can see is his eyes, and I swallows my anger at the nearly desperate look on his face. "Promise you'll fight."**_

" _ **I promise."**_

My throat burns as I scream, and my eyes open to look up at the light blue sky. I'm kneeling in the crater, back arched painfully, and screaming with everything I've got. Can _he_ hear me? Can Koenma hear me in Spirit World? Words are mixed in with the screams, curses about unfairness and pleas to keep them all safe this time, and a thick copper taste fills my mouth as my throat starts to rupture. Lightning cracks across the clear sky, and I raise both arms in the air to finish calling it down. Golden sparks streak down my arms and light up the air around me, and I let out one last surge of energy. One last burst…one last scream.

"I promise!"

* * *

 **Ending Note:** So, as I'm sure you can tell, this is a Time Travel fic! I know there's a lot of really good time travel stories already out there, but I've always wanted to try my hand at writing one. I'll probably make a lot of mistakes, but it should be a fun story!

Does anyone want to guess who the _he_ is that Corey keeps referencing? I'd love to hear theories!

Thank you so much to the people who have already followed this story and added it to their favorites! I do notice when my stories get followed or favorited, and it's definitely appreciated. I write for myself, but I'm writing this for all of you too.

 **StrawberryHuggles:** I'm so glad you like the story so far! I know the idea isn't super original, but I'm going to try and keep it interesting. The first chapter was a tease, and I'm happy to hear that it caught your interest. I rewrote it more times than I'm willing to admit. Thank you for the review!

 **SakiHanajima1:** Your reviews always make me so happy! I hope that this story will be a good one; I guess we'll find out together, hmm? I hope you liked the new chapter, and thank you again for reviewing!


	3. I've Got A Theory

**Author's Note:** New chapter! I've got ideas and inspiration for this story, so expect frequent updates for a little while.

 **Post Date:** 27 July 2017

 **Word Count:** 9850

* * *

 **Chapter Three  
** **I've Got A Theory**

 **1990 October 14**

 **Corey**

"Corey? I made breakfast." Takahiro's voice is quiet, and I manage to lift my head off of my favorite fluffy pillow. He's standing in my open doorway, because my door is still laying against the wall next to the window, and he looks as tired as I feel. Do I have bags under my eyes too?

"You didn't get any sleep either, huh?" I ask. Takahiro slumps against the doorway instead of standing rigidly, and I start to slide my legs across the bed. A few seconds later, my right foot pops out of the blanket. One down, one to go.

"Slept for maybe an hour. Had a dream. Gave up." Takahiro shrugs and then narrows his eyes on me, and a part of me wants to shift nervously under the scrutiny but most of me is too tired to care. "Did you sleep at all?"

"Off and on. I woke up every time I started to dream," I answer. I hadn't been able to handle the dreams; my conscious mind wants to call them nightmares, but they were actually memories. Trust me on this, nightmares have nothing on memories.

"We'll get out of this soon," Takahiro says as my left foot slips out from under the blanket.

"Out of what?" My body slides off the edge of the bed until my knees hit the hardwood floor, and I groan as I start to crawl my way over to the closet. I need a shower and then breakfast, in that order because I need the shower to help me get focused.

"Out of this funk." I stop when the top of my head hits the closet door, and I take a moment to collect myself and then look over at where Takahiro is still standing.

"I thought you were immune to that kind of stuff?" His eyes narrow as I get the closet door to open, and I reach up to start pulling clothes out. Jean shorts, tank top, undergarments. Check, check, and check. I use one arm to hold the clothes to my chest and use my other hand to brace against the wall as I get to my feet. My body sways for a moment before I can right myself, and I shuffle over to my connected bathroom. "I promise I won't drown in the shower. See you at the breakfast table."

"If the food gets cold, I'm not heating it up for you," is the last thing I hear before closing the bathroom door.

The shower is quick, even though I want to stay and enjoy it. I don't linger under the amazing water pressure; I only spend a handful of seconds standing idly under the overly hot spray, and I quickly move through the usual shower routine. Shampoo, conditioner, bathing. Nothing fancy. My skin feels like it's been scrubbed raw by the time I step out of the tub, and I use a second towel to roughly dry my body after wrapping the first towel around my hair. Then it's time to get dressed. Black panties, black strapless binder, tight blue denim shorts. I pause with my shirt in my hands, and I lean forward just a little to get a better look at my reflection in the steam-covered mirror. My right hand presses against the center of my chest, under my collarbones and on top of my sternum, but there's nothing there. It's just smooth skin. The lingering phantom pains from my dream are just that… _phantom_. As in, not real.

" _Get a grip, Ohayashi,"_ I think to myself. I'm the one thinking it, but I hear it in _his_ voice. It's what he normally said whenever I started rambling, and my smile is bittersweet as I stand up straight again. The white tank slips over my head, it's a little baggy on me, and I reach up to pull off the towel wrapped around my hair. I don't feel like taking the time to dry it, so I just quickly run a brush through my long hair and then drag it up into a ponytail.

"It's getting cold!" Takahiro yells as I step out of the bathroom. How he always knows the right time to shout at me, I'll never know.

"Calm the fuck down! I'm comin'!" I yell back. My gloves from yesterday were ruined after being cut open, one of them was anyway, so it's a good thing that I have extras. I grab an extra set from one of my vanity drawers, and I glance into the mirror as I tug the first fingerless black leather glove on. If my head wasn't stuffed so full of old memories, I would really think that I was fourteen. I _look_ fourteen, but I _feel_ ancient.

"It took you long enough," Takahiro grouches as I walk into the dining room. Food is already on the living room table, and there's two empty plates on either end of the table. Takahiro is sitting at one end with an empty plate in front of him, and he motions for me to sit at the other end of the table. We really are going to have to get a new table soon.

"The hot water felt amazing." My legs fold under me as I plop into my seat, and I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling as Takahiro reaches over to start fixing my plate for me.

Breakfast is quiet, which is nothing like our breakfasts when we were fourteen. As teenagers, I was constantly yelling while Takahiro played the part of a mother-hen. He'd tell me to eat all of my food and not just the dishes I liked, and I'd yell at him to calm down before he developed stress lines. We'd argue about homework and what kind of training to work on after school, if we trained. It was always loud and full of laughter…but now we're quiet as we eat. It's like neither of us knows what to say. What can I say? Something like, _"Hey, so, remember how all of our friends died? Good times, huh?"_

"I'll get the dishes. You go shower," I say once we're both done. Takahiro has always preferred eating before showering, so it's a system that works for us. I shower while he cooks and then I wash the dishes while he showers. Today is Sunday, so we don't even have to be in a rush. (Do we have to go back to school? I'm not really looking forward to repeating my high school experience. Can we just skip that this time around?)

I'm elbow deep in soap suds when I hear a quiet popping noise behind me. I know it's Koenma, there's no else it can be, and I glance over my shoulder to see the god hovering behind me. I can hear the shower cut off, so Takahiro will join us soon. I turn back around to finish cleaning the dishes, and I can see Koenma out of the corner of my eye. He's floating over the counter next to me now, and I glance at him before focusing on a tough spot on one of the pans. I can tell that Koenma wants to say something, but I can wait him out. Takahiro's feet make quiet sounds against the floor as he walks into the kitchen, and I know he's making the sound on purpose. Takahiro rarely makes a sound when he walks, but the quiet sounds let me know that he's standing in the kitchen doorway.

"You leveled several miles of a forest yesterday." Koenma's tone is quiet and curious instead of accusatory, and I lift one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug.

"Did ya think I was kiddin' about havin' a mental breakdown?" I glance over at him and lock eyes with the god. "They were my friends, and they died. I was ready to die, I made peace with it, but here I am. I'm alive and fuckin' fourteen all over again, and you want me to team up with the people who are going to one day be my closest friends. With the people that I'm going to love enough to go to war with them. With the people that _died_ because we failed to save the world. You're lucky that the only thing I did was level a few miles of forest. It's better than a city."

"Can you be around them without revealing what you know?" Koenma asks after a moment.

"Considerin' my throat closes or my hand rips itself apart whenever I try to mention the future, I think I can keep it to myself," I say and snort at the end.

"But your actions will be suspicious, because you know all four of them." I finish the dishes, so I drain the soapy water and quickly dry my hands on a towel. The towel gets tossed onto the counter next to the sink, and I turn around to lean my back against the counter. This way, I can see Koenma hovering next to me and see Takahiro leaning in the doorway across from me.

"Kuwabara has an honor code that he'll never break, Kurama is smarter than anyone I've ever met, Hiei is a jerk but sticks to his own code, and Yusuke is a delinquent that's also a good guy-hero type. Yeah, we know them," I say while looking at Takahiro.

"Yes, that's what I'm afraid of. You knew them too well. One little slip, and they'll become suspicious." Yusuke and Kuwabara probably won't notice anything, Hiei might notice something if I slip up too much, and Kurama will know that something about me isn't right if I slip even a little bit.

"Whatcha gonna do about it?" I want to suggest calling it off. To ask him to let Genkai fight, not me, but there's no point. It's already been decided.

"There are different theories concerning time travel. Four major ones, actually," Koenma says. It's not an answer; it sounds like the beginning of a long speech, and I sigh as I slump against the counter and cross my arms.

"Let's hear 'em then, but try to keep it short. My attention span isn't that great," I say and grin sardonically. Koenma huffs at my little quip, but I know he's going to explain anyway.

"The first theory says that even though you can travel back in time, you can't change anything," Koenma starts.

"It's almost like magic. No matter how hard you try, nothing in history can be changed. If you try to change anything, something will always happen to make you fail," Takahiro explains. The show-off.

"I seriously hope that theory doesn't apply here," I say and look over at Koenma. He stops looking at Takahiro and stuffs his hands into his sleeves.

"The second theory is that you were always meant to travel back in time. Everything happens the way that it's meant to, because you've already done it. I'm sending you to the Dark Tournament to disprove this theory. You didn't fight in the Dark Tournament the first time, so fighting in the tournament this time will alter the timeline by putting you in an event that you weren't involved in previously."

"Yeah, we got it, please skip to the next one," I say and glare over at the ruler. I don't need a long drawn-out explanation for every single theory. Why can't things just be summed up so we can move on and start figuring this out?

"The third theory," Koenma grits out and glares over at me before continuing, "claims that you'll instantly feel the alterations that you make. If you do something that drastically alters future events, you'll know immediately. I doubt that is the case here. I've already started on the path to entering you into the tournament, and nothing has changed."

"Which leaves us with number four," Takahiro says and quickly glances at me before focusing his attention on Koenma.

"Yes, indeed. The fourth theory states that you can change the past, but doing so will just create a new timeline. Think of it as entering a new universe, something completely separate from the universe you left. If this theory is correct, you'll be the only ones who will be able to remember the timeline that you come from."

"Just to make sure that I've got this all straight, we're dealing with the first or fourth theory. We're either creating a brand new timeline, and a brand new future, or we're doomed to watch as everything remains the same no matter how hard we try to change things. Did I get that right?" I ask and look between the other two people in the room. Takahiro shrugs and then nods, so I turn my full attention on Koenma.

"Yes, that is what we believe. So, we have decided that both of you should have your memories blocked for the duration of the Dark Tournament." I'm not sure who _we_ consists of, but that's something I can worry about later.

"We need to remember what happened at the Dark Tournament, or there's a good chance that I'll fuck it all up. I really don't think we can take those chances," I say to Koenma.

"It's the perfect way to see if the first theory is correct." When I look over at Takahiro, he meets my eyes and speaks without paying any attention to Koenma. "If nothing is changed at the tournament, we'll know that we're doomed. It's a good way for us to know one way or the other."

"I still think it's a dumb idea," I huff.

"We also don't want you to give away who you are to the team. Going by your display yesterday, just the thought of seeing them is…quite emotional for you." Koenma looks a little uncomfortable, and I just don't have it in me to yell at him. Besides, he's right. I did get emotional. I got so emotional that I destroyed miles of a forest. If Kurama was my friend at this point in time, he'd kick my ass for being so callous.

"What are you going to do?" I ask. Takahiro looks surprised, and so does Koenma. "Don't look at me like that. I'm an emotional person, and I ain't about to apologize for it. One emotional outburst or slip-up will tip the guys off and let them know that something's not right, and there's no point in worrying them until we know what the hell is going on. Also, they're going to have enough problems as it is with the tournament going on. So, stop lookin' at me like I'm some kind of damned alien and tell me what the game plan is."

"Eloquent as always," Takahiro sighs. Koenma clears his throat, and Takahiro and I both look over at him as we wait for his next explanation.

"The plan is to block your memories, so that you both believe that you are fourteen again. The block isn't permanent, I'm afraid. It'll have to be reapplied once a week, and I'll stop refreshing the block after the end of the tournament. At that point, you can tell us if anything was changed."

"Here that, Hiro? We're going to be fourteen for real," I say and grin. Losing my memories sounds like a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, no more emotional outbursts or nightmares about the end of the world. On the other hand, I'll be…fourteen.

"How are you going to get Corey into the tournament?" Takahiro asks Koenma. Completely ignoring me in the process. How rude. Koenma looks a little nervous as he looks over at me, and the hair on the back of my neck stands on end at the look.

"What?" I ask when Koenma just keeps looking at me.

"In our more extensive file, it says that your father was a powerful psychic. He trained both of you into capable fighters, and you were both with him when he went after the demon Zenaku."

"Bastard was killing people a few towns over. A bone-eating demon," I say when Koenma trails off. He makes a quiet sound in his throat and then looks down at the floor as he starts talking again.

"Your father was fighting against Zenaku when his partner, Akumu, attacked the two of you. Together, you were able to kill Akumu but were unable to save your father. You killed Zenaku and then sat with your father as he died." Akumu had been one tough bitch, but Takahiro and I had taken her down. It took us too long though. By the time she was dead, Dad was already dying. Takahiro tried to save him while I killed Zenaku, but it was too late for Dad. He died not even five minutes later.

"As much as I'm enjoyin' this trip down memory lane, can you get to the point?" I ask. I haven't thought about my dad in a very long time. He died an honorable death, and I've done my best to live the way that he wanted me to. That's how I honor his memory.

"The point is that even at fourteen, the two of you were already on Spirit World's radar. You've used your demon energy in public and killed demons without being sanctioned by Spirit World. More importantly, at fourteen you were already strong and a skilled fighter." I shrug, because it's true. Koenma sighs and then looks right at me as he continues. "I will block your memories today. Tomorrow, on your way to school, Botan will be in a disguise and will lead a demon into your path. Your instinct will be to save her. When you defeat the demon, you will be arrested and brought to Spirit World. I will give you a choice. One hundred years in jail or fight in the tournament. What decision would your fourteen year old self make?"

"Fighting," I say instantly. At fourteen, I'd already lost my dad. I wouldn't choose something that would keep me away from Takahiro, away from the only family I had left. Koenma is right about my instinct being to save too. Dad raised me to believe that my strength, that my abilities, are a gift. That my strength should be used to save others.

"I think this plan just might work," Takahiro says quietly. Koenma nods in his direction once and then looks over at me. What? Is he waiting for my permission? How thoughtful.

"Fourteen, physically and mentally. That's going to be…interesting," I say and nod. Koenma seems to relax at that and then makes a show of looking around.

"Who looks after you?"

"Father left us an inheritance and a caretaker that stops by twice a month," Takahiro says and rolls his eyes.

Kaguya was an older woman who didn't really like children, but she had been our official guardian until we turned eighteen. She stopped by on the first and third Sunday of every month to make sure that we were alive and give us an allowance, because we didn't get full access to our inheritance until we came of age. Takahiro and I had been able to live in our childhood home without anyone interfering with the life we were used to, and Kaguya got a check for "taking care of" two orphans. It had been a system that worked for everyone.

"That's convenient. I need to take care of some paperwork, but I'll be back later tonight to alter your memories," Koenma says and then disappears with a quiet popping sound.

"I'm going out for a while. I'll be back tonight," Takahiro announces and then turns on his heel.

"Wait!" He pauses after only taking one step, and steel blue eyes look over his shoulder and directly at me. "You gonna be okay?"

"I need space to process, but I'm okay. We're going to make it through this, Corey." He dips his head once and then walks out of sight, and my head falls back as I sigh.

" _What a mess."_

I give Takahiro enough time to get away from the house, a full twenty-two minutes, before I finally leave the kitchen. A part of me is itching to start running and never stop, but I can't just run away from my problems. Running won't solve anything. It might actually make things worse, since my current goal in life is to save the world. My groan only gets louder as I walk through the living room and then out onto the porch that wraps around the house, and I collapse down against the warm wood. Arms and legs spread akimbo, warm sun on my face, and the sounds of birds chirping…this isn't a bad way to spend my last day before I lose my memories.

No, not lose. I'm not going to lose my memories. My memories of the (possible) future are just going to be blocked, so that I won't freak out when I meet the team for the first time. Huh, first time. I'm going to get to meet them for the first time all over again. I wonder what the first impressions will be like this time around? Will it be anything like the first time around? I doubt it, considering how and where I met the Spirit Detective Team.

 _ **I manage to raise my staff before the sword can connect with my face, and I only get a glimpse of narrowed red eyes before my opponent disappears. Again. He almost moves too fast for me to track, but I can see quick glimpses as he moves around me. This time, as he aims his sword for my midsection, I keep my staff held out to the side and twist my torso so that the sharp blade only nicks my ribcage instead of ripping through my stomach. My staff moves to go across his back, and I lock my hands around the other end of the staff. He's pinned, for the moment, so I know he won't flit away again.**_

" _ **Ya know, this fight would be a little more fun if you'd just hold still," I drawl out and grin. The small nick has left a pretty big gouge in my side, and the demon standing in front of me grunts quietly. He tries to move backwards, but my staff is pressing horizontally against the center of his back. He can slip away, he probably will in a moment, but he looks grudgingly impressed for the time being.**_

" _ **I am not fighting for fun," he says and removes his blade from my skin. As soon as the blade is free, he disappears again. He appears a few feet in front of me, and I watch as he flicks my blood off his blade.**_

" _ **Yeah, yeah. You're fightin' to win, right?" I glance down at my side, notice the amount of blood on the ground, and sigh quietly. Damn, and I was getting pretty close to the end too.**_

" _ **And you're not?" He's eying how much blood I've lost too, but he's wrong if he thinks I'm going to just fall over. I am not going to let one little cut defeat me.**_

" _ **Nah, I'm not the ruling type. I'm just here to have a little fun. Think you can help me with that?" I ask and grin.**_

 _ **He doesn't say anything or make any other kind of sound; one second I'm looking at him and grinning like a jackass, and the next second my staff is raised so that I won't lose my right eye. The assault is brutal; I can't let my guard down for a second, and I can hear the sound of my own wild laughter as his sword connects with my metal staff over and over. After my staff connects with his cheek and sends him flying away from me, I hold my staff with just my right hand and start to twirl it through the air over my head. Faster and faster…and I yell as lightning streaks across the sky and hits the staff. The next time his sword comes for me, lightning leaps from my staff and lights him up.**_

" _ **Things are really starting to heat up in Group A! It's fire versus lightning! I can practically smell the burning flesh from here, and I love it!"**_

 _ **The announcer sure is a colorful one. Every time my lightning makes contact, fire rushes towards me. My left cheek and shoulder are still smoldering a little, but my opponent is sporting a few burned spots of his own. We keep clashing, sword against staff and fire against lightning, and I can't remember the last time I had this much fun during a fight. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest, and I know I probably look crazy as I laugh and dodge streams of fire.**_

" _ **In Group B, it looks like Yusuke has Jin on the ropes! Come on, Jin, don't let that punk beat you!"**_

 _ **My staff crashes against the sword and then knocks into his wrist, and the sword goes flying through the air. As it falls, I stab my staff into the ground and then drop down into a lower stance. My opponent tilts his head in obvious confusion, and I grin wide enough to bare my teeth and raise my hands. My fingers wave in a "come-on" motion, and the demon's eyes widen in understanding. Then he's flying straight at me.**_

" _ **Mukuro is pummeling Souketsu in Group C! Just look at all of that blood! And maybe a little bit of bone! Get him, girl!"**_

 _ **A fiery punch crashes into my cheek and ignites, and I drive my own electrified fist into his stomach. I can hear him grunting as the lightning travels throughout his body, and I jump back before his other fire covered fist can land another hit.**_

" _ **In Group D, it's sword against whip, but where's the blood?! Where's the brutality?!"**_

 _ **I lose track of time for a little while. Who cares about the passing minutes when I'm fighting against someone who moves faster than the speed of light and can keep fighting even after I electrocute him? The fight has to end eventually though, and I feel a little disappointed in myself as my energy starts to flag. I'm covered in burns and cuts, I've been able to hold my own, but I hate that it's coming to an end.**_

 _ **The demon flies at me again, and I leave myself unguarded against his uppercut. Knuckles connect with the underside of my chin, my teeth crack against each other with nearly enough force to break my teeth, and I summon my lightning for one last time. Lightning strikes the ground where I'd been standing, where he's now standing, and I get to see his eyes go wide as he's struck by lightning. I might be wrong, but I think I hear him actually yell before I go sailing through the air. My body crashes through a few trees before falling to the ground, and I struggle to lift my head. When that proves to be too much, I let my body go limp.**_

" _ **Yo! Ref! I'm done!" I call out. The small demon standing on the floating eyeball nods and quickly gives the announcement, and I relax against the ground as my eyes close.**_

" _ **You lost. You have no reason to smile." I peek an eye open to see the demon who defeated me standing over me, and I force my arms to slide across the ground so I can lace my fingers behind my head.**_

" _ **I'm smiling because that was a damn good fight." At the demon's blank look, I twist my face into an exaggerated pout. "It wasn't as good for you as it was for me?"**_

" _ **Hn."**_

" _ **I'm guessing that's Asshole Speak for you did alright," I say and grin as the demon glares down at me.**_

" _ **You lasted longer than I thought you would, halfbreed." If he's trying to get a rise out of me, that's the wrong way to do it. That particular slur has never bothered me.**_

" _ **You're a tougher opponent than I thought you'd be, outcast." Bright red eyes narrow down at me, but I can't stop grinning. Yeah, I might have lost, but I won't be forgetting this fight anytime soon. "Don't look so surprised. You're a**_ **legend** _ **, Hiei. Everyone knows about the fire demon and his ice maiden sister, and I've heard the rumors too. Superstitions are dumb, don't ya think? Boys are bad luck for ice maidens. Halfbreeds are bad luck for everyone. They're just dumb superstitions."**_

" _ **You talk too much," he huffs and steps forward.**_

 _ **For a moment, I'm worried that he might actually decide to kill me even though it's generally understood that there's no killing during the Demon World Tournament. The third one is nearly over and there's never been a death, but there's a first time for everything. To my surprise, Hiei bends over and grips my right arm instead. Just over the bend of my elbow. My body is yanked off the ground and travels through the air for a moment, and I groan quietly as my bruised midsection lands on Hiei's shoulder.**_

" _ **I've been told that before, that I talk too much. Which is fuckin' ridiculous if you ask me. I talk the right amount," I say as Hiei starts to walk off. With me still thrown over his shoulder. Hiei's reply is to just grunt out a quiet, "Hn." A man of few words, huh? I can respect that. The overly enthusiastic announcer calls out the next big win, and I let my unburned cheek rest against Hiei's back as he keeps walking.**_

" _ **I'm rootin' for ya in the next round." My body is suddenly flipped over, but I land on something soft instead of the hard ground. Oh, it's a stretcher that's being carried by some healers. That's nice.**_

" _ **I defeated you. Why root for me?" The healers are shifting nervously and taking quick peeks at Hiei, and I try to find a comfortable position to lay in. My back is killing me, probably from hitting all those trees, but I keep eye contact with the fire demon.**_

" _ **Because us bad luck superstitions gotta stick together. So go kick some ass! I don't wanna be defeated by a loser," I say and smile. It's just enough to make my cheeks shift, and Hiei huffs as he crosses his arms.**_

" _ **You're a fool."**_

" _ **Yeah, but I'm the fool that almost got you."**_

" _ **Hn."**_

Takahiro and I went back and forth for months before finally deciding to enter in the third Demon World Tournament. We spent over forty years living exclusively in the Human World, and it had felt like the right time to see the Demon World. So we entered the tournament and both made it all the way to the quarter-finals. I had the misfortune of fighting against Hiei, but I'm glad that Hiei is the one that I fought. He just might be the most stubborn and emotionally stunted person that I have ever met, but he became a friend. A good friend. Of course, he wasn't the only member of the great Spirit Detective Team that I met that day.

 _ **The semi-finals of the third Demon World Tournament are interesting, to say the least. I watch the fights from a nearly empty room, and my eyes keep jumping all over the place as I watch the two fights that are being shown side-by-side on a large screen. In the first group, Hiei is fighting against Yusuke. (I'm rooting for Hiei, just like I said I would.) In the other group, Kurama is fighting against Souketsu. (Takahiro, who is the only other person in the room with me, is rooting for Kurama even though the fox defeated him in the quarter-finals.)**_

" _ **Are you sure you should be on your feet?" Takahiro asks quietly.**_

" _ **Why not?" When I look over, Takahiro raises a brow and gives me a look like I'm crazy. Okay, so maybe Hiei had thoroughly kicked my ass in the quarter-finals. I've got two broken ribs on the right side, the gash cutting across my left side has been carefully stitched together, and I've got large burns on several areas of my body. My left cheek, the majority of my stomach, and my right leg to name the biggest problem areas. It's whatever though. I'll heal. "You're one to talk. You got beat up by a rose."**_

" _ **I lost to Youko Kurama," Takahiro sniffs and focuses his attention back on the screens. Eh, he has a point though. There's no shame in losing to the legendary Youko Kurama.**_

" _ **I think we did pretty good. I mean, we made it close to the end. That's pretty awesome." I glance over at Takahiro, and I can see one side of his lips tipped up into a smile. He never can stay mad at me for long.**_

 _ **When the semi-finals come to an end, Takahiro and I groan in disappointment at the same time. Hiei and Kurama both lose, so the final fight will be between Yusuke and Souketsu. One of them will become the next ruler of the Demon World, and I'm not going anywhere until I see who's going to win. This is our first time at one of the tournaments, so there's no point in leaving before the end. Takahiro and I sit down as we wait for the last fight to start, and we're trying to figure out what to do after the tournament is over when two people walk into our little viewing room.**_

" _ **You're still conscious." Hiei's making a statement, not asking a question, but I still grin as I tip my head back before answering him.**_

" _ **You knocked me around pretty good, but I'm tougher than I look." Takahiro snorts out a quiet laugh, barely loud enough to register, and Hiei grunts. A pair of bright green eyes move over to look at me, and I keep the serene smile on my face as Kurama sizes me up.**_

" _ **Staying conscious after fighting Hiei is quite impressive. I'm surprised we haven't crossed paths before now." Kurama's voice is low and pleasant, and I can actually feel my body relaxing in my seat as he talks.**_

" _ **Probably because we've lived in the Human World for our entire lives. This is our first time visiting the Demon World," I explain and look at Takahiro. He looks relaxed as well, even though Kurama is standing directly behind his chair. Instincts should tell Takahiro to be worried about his, former, opponent standing behind his unguarded back. Takahiro looks like he always does though, so their fight must have ended amicably.**_

" _ **And how are you finding the Demon World?" Kurama asks. How does that guy have such a pleasant voice? He's like magic.**_

" _ **Fightin' Hiei made the whole trip worth it," I say and wink up at the fire demon.**_

" _ **Hmph," is the only reply I get. I think I'm starting to grow on him a little though. Before anyone else can speak, the announcer's voice echoes through several different loudspeakers. The next fight is about to start.**_

To my surprise, Hiei remembered my name after our fight. I wasn't surprised that Kurama remembered Takahiro's name, the rumors all said that the fox was cunning and never missed a single detail, but I hadn't expected for either of them to stay in the viewing room with us. The four of us watched the final fight together, and we all rooted for Yusuke to win. When the fight was over and Yusuke was declared the winner, I cheered so loud that Hiei made a crack about me informing the dead. Then Takahiro had pulled me out of the room, and Kurama and Hiei had walked with us.

" _ **You must come with us to the celebration," Kurama is saying as we walk through the building where the tournament is held.**_

" _ **We don't want to impose," Takahiro answers. I snort next to him, because I wouldn't mind imposing just a little, and Takahiro cuts his eyes over at me. I know that look is telling me to be respectful and keep my mouth shut, so I stick my tongue out at him. He rolls his eyes before matching his strides to Kurama's, and the two of them quickly move to walk ahead of Hiei and me.**_

" _ **Whattaya say, asshole? Would we be imposing if we tagged along?" I ask and lean in closer to Hiei. He's only four inches taller than my diminutive five feet, but it's just enough of a difference that I have to lean up on my toes to get uncomfortably close to his face.**_

" _ **Yes," Hiei growls and glares over at me. His eyes sweep over me for a moment and then he adds, "Nuisance."**_

" _ **Come on, Takahiro! We gotta go now!" I yell. Kurama and Takahiro are walking ahead of us, talking quietly as they lead the way, and I hear Takahiro sigh as he glances over his shoulder at Hiei and me.**_

" _ **And why is that?" Takahiro asks with a raised brow.**_

" _ **I wanna see how long Hiei can hold out before punching me in the face." Kurama laughs quietly, and I can hear Takahiro let out a long suffering groan. Honestly, he should be used to my behavior by now.**_

" _ **It will take more than a halfbreed to defeat me." I look over at Hiei and then dare to try and poke his cheek. He moves before I can make contact, as predicted, but his steps never falter.**_

" _ **Funny, because I'm pretty sure you lost to a halfbreed. Pretty sure," I say and shrug. "After I did all that cheering for you too. Way to let a girl down."**_

" _ **She cheered for the halfbreed louder than she cheered for you," Takahiro announces without looking back this time.**_

" _ **Because that was awesome!" I yell and raise my arms in the air. I spin around in circles as I keep walking, until I'm walking next to Takahiro and Kurama, and I don't stop until Takahiro grabs my shoulders and forces me to be still. It's a good thing he did too, because I was only about two spins away from crashing into two people. Wait, one of them is familiar. He's bruised and bloody, but I know who he is.**_

" _ **Makin' friends?" he asks as Hiei steps up to my other side. It sounds like Kurama is about to answer, I can hear the start of his magical voice, but I can't stop myself from speaking. Yelling, whatever.**_

" _ **That fight was incredible! You're incredible! Whoa, you're also insanely hot! That's so unfair! You can't be hot and some kind of fight god! It's gotta be against the rules, because it's definitely not fair." Takahiro is groaning in disappointment, Kurama is chuckling quietly, and Hiei is being silent. Shocker. There's another deeper laugh coming from behind Yusuke, who looks a little shocked by my amount of word vomit. What? It just slipped out.**_

" _ **Life isn't fair." Yusuke still looks shocked as he says the words, and the person behind him finally steps forward so I can see what he looks like. Hey! I know who he is too!**_

" _ **No, wait, I take it all back. You're insanely hot! Who'd you kill for those cheekbones?" I ask and lean up on my toes. The guy is nearly a foot and a half taller than me, and those sculpted cheekbones flush a dark red as I continue to smile up at him.**_

" _ **You truly are delusional," Hiei remarks next to me.**_

" _ **And as much as I appreciate the compliment, I'm taken," Kuwabara says and gets a faraway look in his eyes as he smiles. I know that he's taken, the four members that make up the Spirit Detective Team are famous after all, which is why I'm not seriously hitting on him. I just wanted Yusuke to stop looking at me in shock. (That, and…well, Kuwabara really does have amazing bone structure.)**_

" _ **Yusuke, Kuwabara, this is Corey Ohayashi and Takahiro Kurosawa. They were defeated by Hiei and myself in the quarter-finals," Kurama explains.**_

" _ **I almost had you though," I say and grin over at Hiei. He just grunts, but I still think it was a close fight. I definitely left a few marks on him. "Say whatever you want, but I lit your ass up."**_

" _ **And I set you on fire," Hiei quickly counters.**_

" _ **You have to excuse her. I normally don't let her out in public." I beam a smile up at Takahiro, who completely ignores me. "We should get going and leave you to your celebration, King Urameshi."**_

" _ **Happy ruling," I add and bow my head a little. Takahiro grabs my wrist to start pulling me away, which is a good call. Teasing Hiei is fun and Kuwabara is still blushing just a little, but my eyes keep wanting to move Yusuke. Even bruised and bloody, he really is too attractive. If Takahiro doesn't pull me away, I might say something even more embarrassing.**_

" _ **You don't wish to join us?" Kurama asks. Takahiro stops, which causes me to run into his back, and I cuss quietly under my breath as I rub my now sore nose.**_

" _ **Why do you want us to?" Takahiro asks in place of an answer. I love my brother, I really do, but he's very distrustful. He's always looking for some kind of hidden agenda, which might be a good thing since I rarely think at all before acting.**_

" _ **I would like to know about how you project your spirit." Takahiro isn't the fidgeting type. Instead, he tenses into complete stillness as he thinks it over. Astral projection is new to Takahiro; it's something that he learned how to do recently, but he's very good at controlling both his body and spirit after separating the two.**_

" _ **And I would like a rematch with the halfbreed," Hiei adds. Oh, we gotta go with them! Because I am going to kick that fire demon's ass next time!**_

" _ **Will you at least attempt to behave?" Takahiro asks me.**_

" _ **I'll make an attempt, but I ain't promisin' nothin'," I drawl out.**_

" _ **I suppose that will have to do." I start to cheer and jump around, since Takahiro has finally released my wrist, and I'm able to see glimpses of the four men's expressions. Hiei looks impassive, Kurama looks pleased, Kuwabara looks confused, and Yusuke looks…amused. This is going to be fun.**_

Spending time with the four of them, I don't know how to describe it. Something just seemed to click. Takahiro and Kurama got on like a house on fire, and I got Kuwabara to tell me all about Yukina as we made our way to the king's palace. Hiei tried to butt in a few times with insults while Kuwabara was talking, which just gave me an excuse to slap a hand over his mouth or hit him in some way. The both of us were covered in new bruises and cuts by the time we reached the palace, but our antics kept our friends laughing for most of the journey. Even Takahiro had laughed when I managed to get Hiei in a headlock. (It only lasted a few seconds before Hiei tossed me off of him and knocked me into Yusuke, but it was worth it just to see Hiei's hair flat in some places and to hear Yusuke laughing as we rolled across the ground.)

I roll over onto my stomach and press my cheek against the porch as the memories keep coming, and I can't tell if they're good memories or not. Normally, I would say they're happy memories. Now? It hurts to remember, and it's hard to believe that I'm going to forget all of this soon. How can I forget my friends? How can I forget the day that changed my life?

" **This place is fuckin' huge! Who cleans it? And where the hell I am?"** _ **I think as I stumble down yet another hallway. For all I know, I might be walking in circles. This damn palace is like a maze!**_

 _ **After leaving Gandara, where the Demon World Tournament was hosted, Takahiro and I followed the Spirit Detective Team to the King's palace in the far north. It's the palace that Enki used after the first tournament, and Shu lived here in the palace after winning the second tournament twenty-five years ago. Now Yusuke is going to rule for the next fifty years, and this is going to be his home for the entirety of his rule. Best of luck to him too, because the size of this place is ridiculous!**_

 _ **The past few days at the King's palace has been…interesting, to say the least. Takahiro has spent most of his time with Kurama talking about astral projection and a few other things that have gone completely over my head, but I'm glad that Takahiro is having fun. The two of us have been on our own for our entire lives, which is totally fine because we don't need anyone else. That being said, I think we can benefit from having friends. All we need is each other, sure, but having friends can't hurt. Plus, I like the demons that we've met since coming to the king's palace.**_

 _ **Kuwabara introduced me to his mate, Yukina, and she's the sweetest being that I have ever met. She even healed the stubborn burn marks that were taking their sweet time on disappearing! Then there was Botan, who was like happiness personified, and Kuwabara's sister Shizuru. Kuwabara has a demon's lifespan since he mated Yukina, and Shizuru is a Reaper because she died a few years back. Both women were surprisingly easy to talk to. There was also the rulers of Demon World, Yomi and Mukuro, and several other demons that were friends of the Spirit Detective Team. I've mostly spent my time with Hiei though, either fighting physically or verbally.**_

 _ **Right now, I am weaving through the palace and trying to find my way back outside. In between all of the fighting, there's been a lot of drinking. I lost count of how much I'd had to drink a couple of days ago, because I have learned that it's impossible to say no to the former Queen of Demon World. Kokou is very persuasive, and a little drinking isn't enough to kill me. It's just enough to mess with my sense of direction, because I have no idea where I am. Have I already passed that painting? I think I would remember seeing a banana that big…wait, are there bananas in the Demon World?**_

 _ **I stop as I hear voices, but they're too faint for me to be able to determine if the voices are familiar or not. I straighten up and start in the direction of the voices, and I lean against the wall next to a cracked open door. One of the voices is deep and talking quickly in a low tone, and I can't quite place it. Then again, I can't remember the names of most of the people I've met over the past several days. I shrug as I decide to stick my head in, because I need to ask for directions. I don't want to be rude and interrupt their conversation, but I also don't want to die alone in one of the palace's hallways.**_

" _ **I want you to rule Tourin while I'm gone! I don't need you here to babysit me!" Yusuke is yelling as I open the door fully. My knuckles knocking against the wood seem especially loud in the tense silence of the room, and two pairs of eyes quickly glare over at me. Oops. Looks like I interrupted something important.**_

" _ **Sorry to butt in, but I can't find my way out of here. Where's the outside?" I ask as they keep glaring at me.**_

" _ **Hey, Hokushin, what if I found a replacement?" Yusuke asks the other man in the room. I know I'm the one that interrupted the King and everything, but he doesn't have to completely ignore my presence. That's just rude.**_

" _ **Her?" the other man, Hokushin, asks.**_

" _ **Yeah, sure, why not? Her and Hiei have been fighting for days. She's strong enough for the job," Yusuke says and crosses his arms. That almost sounds like a compliment. I have been fighting Hiei for the past several days, and we haven't declared a winner yet. It keeps ending in a draw, much to our frustration. We're both too stubborn to lose apparently.**_

" _ **What is your name?" Hokushin's voice is deep and authoritative, and my spine straightens on instinct at the tone.**_

" _ **Corentine Ohayashi, but everyone just calls me Corey," I ramble out.**_

" _ **Lady Ohayashi, will you guard King Urameshi during his reign?" Yusuke rolls his eyes after Hokushin asks the question, and I blink a few times in quick succession as I raise my hand and point a finger at my own face.**_

" _ **You want me to be the King's bodyguard?" I ask.**_

" _ **That is exactly what I am asking." Hokushin looks and sounds deathly serious, and I reach up to lightly scratch the back of my neck. The King's Bodyguard, huh? Takahiro and I have been talking about moving to Demon World, but I don't think either of us were planning on working directly for the king. Sounds kind of fun though.**_

" _ **Yeah, you can count on me," I say and grin. Hokushin bows at the waist to me, and I space out a little as he talks quietly with Yusuke. A minute later, Hokushin walks past me to leave the room. I turn to watch him leave and then twist back around to raise a brow at Yusuke.**_

" _ **You don't have to actually do it. Hokushin just thinks that I need a permanent babysitter," Yusuke explains and rolls his eyes.**_

" _ **I'm guessing he's your normal babysitter?" Yusuke asked Hokushin to look after Tourin, so there's no way that the other demon can rule Tourin and watch after Yusuke at the same time. Yusuke nods and then narrows his eyes on me, and I tip my head up so I can meet the serious look head-on.**_

" _ **I mean it, you know. You don't have to actually do it." He saw me and decided to use me to get Hokushin off his back, and I applaud his ability to make rash decisions and to bullshit. He's picked the wrong person to bullshit about though.**_

" _ **No can do. I gave my word, so it looks like you're stuck with me. I'll stay by your side and keep you safe, King Urameshi." I cross one arm behind my back and hold the other horizontally across my stomach as I lean forward in a deep bow, and Yusuke is standing directly in front of me when I straighten up. The top of my head is even with his collarbones, so I have to lean my head back a pretty good bit to meet his eyes.**_

" _ **You don't know me, so why stick around?" he asks. He looks like he wants to be angry, but there's curiosity in his brown eyes. (It's such a deep and beautiful color too, like my favorite kind of chocolate.) I lean up on my toes so that we're a little bit closer, and I try to make sure that my grin isn't feral. I want to show him a genuine smile, a sincere one, because I mean the words I'm about to say. I want him to know that I mean it.**_

" _ **Halfbreeds gotta stick together."**_

 _ **Yusuke's eyes narrow even more as he studies me, and I brace myself for a hit for a second. Because he looks pissed. Then his face shifts in a sudden grin before he throws his head back with a loud laugh. His torso heaves as he laughs, and it's a good look on him. There's little crinkles next to his eyes and his nose scrunches up, and he crosses his arms over his stomach as he laughs. I'm still smiling when he starts to calm down, and he tosses an arm around my shoulders and turns me around. He pulls me out of the room and back out into the hallway, and I don't stumble since we're walking pressed together.**_

" _ **You're alright, Ohayashi." He's smiling when I look up at him, brown eyes shining with laughter, and it takes my alcohol drenched brain a second to figure out why my heart is suddenly beating erratically in my chest.**_

" **Well, this is going to be interesting,"** _ **I think as I smile up at the king.**_

I'm crying. It's not like yesterday, where it felt like I was falling apart as I cried, but I feel a little broken just the same. I'm broken open, and old memories are spilling out of me as I try to latch onto those old emotions. Will I still be able to tease Hiei? What if my fourteen year old self doesn't realize that he communicates in insults because no one was around to teach him kindness? Hiei is one of my closest friends, second only to Takahiro, but I didn't know anything about his past as a teenager. What if I misjudge him and miss out on being there for my friend? Will Kuwabara still ruffle my hair whenever I get angry and start shouting? Because he knows that the small gesture, that a small point of contact, is all that it takes to calm me down? Kurama is the one that always explains things to me, vividly to make sure that I understand, but what if he distrusts me this time and doesn't bother to tell me anything? Will Yusuke still look after me and care about whether or not I'm getting enough sleep or food? Will anything be the same this time around?

Hot tears are leaking from the corners of my eyes, because I rolled onto my back again at some point, and the tip of my nose starts to itch as I continue to cry. My throat feels tight as my body shakes from silent sobs, and _I hate this_. I hate feeling like this, because I can't even go to my closest friends for comfort. (Hiei would tell me to stop blubbering like a fool but would still grip my shoulder and wait for me to finish "having my emotional episode." Kuwabara would hug me, long arms wrapped tight around me, while telling me that everything would be okay. Kurama would hold my hands and speak in that ultra-soothing tone of his, about plants or the atmosphere on different planets. He'd talk about anything to distract me, to calm me. Yusuke would hold me close and wouldn't say anything, because he'd know that I don't need to be told anything. He'd just tuck my head under his chin, because he'd understand that sometimes you just gotta cry and get it all out.)

The sun is sitting low in the sky, which means that I've spent the entire day laying out on the porch and reminiscing. I've been crying for so long that my eyes feel hot and swollen, but I'm not sobbing anymore. I feel drained. Empty. Maybe having the memories blocked will be a good thing. Because this feeling? It'll drive me crazy if it keeps up.

"Do you remember what we were like at fourteen?" Takahiro asks as he steps out of the house. How long has he been home? He lowers himself down until he's sitting next to my hip, but he's looking out over the yard instead of at me.

"Angry, impulsive, hormonal…typical fourteen year olds," I answer with a quiet laugh. We'd both been angry after Dad died; we missed him, and we had to learn how to take care of ourselves.

"You were impulsive," Takahiro corrects. Oh, right. I was the impulsive one. Takahiro's anger was more quiet, and he kept to himself more than most teenagers. I was the loud and abrasive one. I remember that the other students kept their distance, because Takahiro was the weird quiet genius and I was the crazy loud delinquent. At fourteen, I was dealing with the loss of my only parent and venting that hurt by fighting anyone who looked sideways at me. And I'm going to fight in the Dark Tournament with that mindset. I am so fucked.

"Do you think if we fail and die again, we'll get another chance? Ya know, like Groundhog Day or something?" Dark eyes glare down at me, and I twist my leg so I can lightly nudge his ribcage. "Don't look at me like I'm crazy. The last time we died, we woke up at fourteen. Maybe next time we'll wake up at ten or some other ridiculous age."

"Are you scared?" I hate that Takahiro can read between the lines of my rambling bullshit, but I'm happy for it too. No matter what weird shit happens, my brother will always be able to understand me.

"I'm terrified. Aren't you?" Dad used to say that only idiots believed that fear was a weakness. Fear lets a person know to be careful, to be cautious. Fear is what keeps people alive.

"Yes, but I have faith in you. You'll survive this." Takahiro sounds so sure, and I sniffle quietly as I reach over to grab his hand. Our fingers lace together, smooth leather against warm skin, and I feel a little more centered. A little less like I'm broken open and spilling out.

"We'll survive this." Takahiro's smile is small, but it's enough. It'll have to be, because we're in this together.

There's a quiet popping sound above our heads, and I reach up with my free hand to wipe at the sides of my face. I'm not trying to hide the fact that I've been crying. The tear tracks are just itchy. Koenma floats down until he's a little bit closer to us, and his eyes narrow as he looks at us. Probably because we both look like someone took our favorite toy away. And then ran it over. And then set it on fire.

"Are you both ready?" Koenma asks and looks between us. I look over to meet Takahiro's eyes, and he sighs quietly.

"No point in delaying the inevitable, right?"

"Right. Put the whammy on us, sir." Koenma huffs as he floats down even lower, and Takahiro and I both go still as he places two fingers against the center of our foreheads.

"Water of the womb," Takahiro whispers. The old saying makes me laugh as relief floods through me, and I tighten my grip on Takahiro's hand as Koenma's fingers start to glow. My head's starting to feel a little fuzzy too.

"Ain't got shit on the blood of the covenant," I finish. The last thing I hear before everything goes dark is Takahiro's quiet laughter.

* * *

 **Ending Note:** Lots of memories from the future timeline in this chapter, and I guess it's pretty obvious who _he_ is by now. This story is going to be a slow burn fic though, so don't expect any romance anytime soon. As this chapter says, Corey and Takahiro will have their memories blocked for the duration of the Dark Tournament arc. So they won't remember any of their old friends or that the world is ending, and they'll be…fourteen.

Thank you to everyone who is following this story and/or has added it to your favorites!

 **SakiHanajima1:** The last chapter was long, so many words, but I couldn't find a good stopping point so I'm glad you liked the long chapter! Is it wrong that I'm happy when I make people emotional? That's one of the more fun things about writing-I don't have to cry alone. This chapter described their original first meeting, but I'm really excited to write the second first meeting. (This timeline thing is confusing.) I hope you enjoyed the update, and thank you for the review!

 **StrawberryHuggles:** Like I said, I've had a lot of inspiration for this story which means I can update quicker! (Reviews are good motivation for updating too lol) Thank you for the compliment! I'm not sure if I'd ever be brave enough to write original fiction, but I appreciate the vote of confidence! Emotional scenes are the most fun for me to write, so I'm glad you liked it! Hiro is precious and should be protected at all costs, for sure. I think Corey's pairing is a little more obvious in this chapter, but Hiro is going to stay a mystery for a little longer. Thank you for the review!


	4. Putting The Plan Into Motion

**Post Date:** 29 July 2017

 **Word Count:** 7545

* * *

 **Chapter Four  
** **Putting The Plan Into Motion**

 **1990 October 15**

 **Corey**

 _The ground is uneven; the sidewalk is cracked and jagged, and broken pieces of buildings are scattered across the streets. My bare feet are bleeding as I run, but I can't stop. If I stop, I'll die. I can hear Takahiro running next to me, and screams are echoing throughout the burning city. We turn a corner, and my feet skid across the ground as I come to a stop. There are at least a dozen demons lined up in front of us, and I look over at Takahiro._

" _We tried," he says and shrugs a little._

" _If we're dyin', let's take them with us," I say and tilt my head in the demons' direction. Takahiro smiles, it looks more like one of my feral grins than one of his usual cool smirks, and I turn back to face the demons that are slowly advancing on us._

"Corey! Get up! We're running late!"

My eyes look around the room in a blind panic, and I reach up to press a hand against my heaving chest. I'm sitting straight up in bed, blanket and sheets tangled around my legs, and my skin is slick with a cold sweat. I've had nightmares before, yeah, but I've never had one that felt that vivid. Are my feet going to be cracked and bleeding when I look at them? My hands are tangled in my messy hair when Takahiro opens my door and sticks his head in, and narrowed blue eyes meet mine. He looks like he just woke up as well, his hair hasn't been brushed and he's only wearing a pair of black sweatpants, and I stop trying to brush my hair with my fingers as I glare back at him.

"I had a dream that the world was ending. I think that's a sign we should skip school today." Takahiro's eyes narrow so much that he's squinting at me…or maybe he's just having trouble seeing without his glasses.

"We're not skipping school. Now get ready!" My door slams shut, and I groan as I flop back against my bed. That dream…it felt so real. It felt most like a memory, like something I've done before and already knew how it ended, but that's crazy. I'm finally going crazy. I always knew this day would come.

I groan again, louder this time, as I start kicking at the blanket and sheets tangled around my legs. It takes a few quiet curses and threats, but my legs finally come free and then fall back to bounce against the bed. A few bones pop as I rock onto my side and grip the edge of the mattress, and I use the hold to drag my body across the body. My hands hit the floor first, followed by my chest, then the rest of my torso, and my legs slip off the bed onto the floor last. I carefully crawl my way over to the closet, grunt as the top of my head knocks against the closed door, and I pull out my school uniform while grumbling under my breath. The clothes are carefully tucked under one arm, and I slowly shuffle over to the bathroom on my knees.

Clothes get tossed up onto the counter next to the sink, and I take in a deep breath before gripping the counter and hefting myself up. My legs tingle as I stand up for the first time today, and I look up into the mirror. I look the same as always, so why do I feel like something is missing? All of my hair is accounted for, my face isn't disfigured unless I count the pillow creases across my cheeks, and all of my limbs are attached. Same as always. My right hand raises to press against the center of my chest, and I can feel the strong beat of my heart against my fingertips. Everything is the way it should be…My head shakes, like I'm trying to actually shake out all of the weird thoughts along with that super weird dream, and I stomp my way over to the shower.

The shower doesn't take long. It never does, because I don't see the point in lingering. So I get in, get clean, and get out. Besides, if I take too long, Takahiro will bust in and start yelling at me again. Once I'm dry, I quickly pull on my panties and bra before glaring down at my uniform. There's no way around wearing it though, so I suck it up and grab the skirt first. The blue skirt easily slips over my legs, but it takes me a few minutes to button my white shirt. I'm running behind schedule by the time I finish with my shirt, and I can hear myself starting to growl quietly as I struggle to brush my hair and pull it up into a ponytail. My socks don't want to stay up after I put them on, and my feet feel like they're being pinched in my black leather shoes. _I hate wearing the school uniform_. I'm still grumbling angrily under my breath as I walk into the dining room, but the anger is replaced with confusion as I look at the clean dining room table. There's nothing on it. It's even shining like it's brand new.

"Where's the food?" I ask. Takahiro normally has breakfast ready by the time I'm out of the shower, but there's no food on the dining room table. I can't even smell any food. I'm still sniffing the air, hoping to catch a whiff of something edible, when the sounds of Takahiro running starts to echo. Takahiro never runs noisily.

"No time! We're late!" Takahiro yells from the doorway. My bag is thrown at me, and I've just barely caught it when Takahiro grabs my wrist and starts pulling on me.

"School isn't that important!" I yell as Takahiro drags me down the front steps of our house. Neither one of us locked the door, but we don't really have to. We have wards placed around the property, to keep out any unwanted guests, and we've never had any problems with trespassers. That doesn't mean Takahiro can be in such a hurry that I can barely manage to close the front door!

Twenty minutes later, after a lot of frantic running, we're finally at the outskirts of the city and getting steadily closer to the school. We're in the warehouse district, where it's quiet and usually completely devoid of people, which means we're still about a ten minute's run away from the school. This is what we get for living outside of the city's limits; we get to live in the woods and commune with nature, but we're always running late for school. At least we normally get breakfast. My stomach is growling and cramping like I haven't eaten for days, and Takahiro's hold on my wrist loosens and then slips completely off as I stagger to a stop. Takahiro jogs forward a few more steps and then turns to look over his shoulder at me, and I brace a hand against my stomach as I slowly shake my head. I'll catch up to him in just a second.

"Run! Run!" My face twists in confusion, and something knocks into my shoulder before I can turn around. I catch a glimpse of wild brown hair and panicked brown eyes before the girl runs straight into Takahiro, and Takahiro's long arms wrap around her as he manages to keep them both on their feet. "You have to run!"

"What in the hell are you goin' on about?!" I ask the panicked girl. I know, sensitivity is important when someone is having a breakdown, but I have a less of a verbal filter when I'm hungry. I'm also not a morning person.

"Um, Corey?" Takahiro is looking off somewhere behind me, and I take a quick look over my shoulder. _Oh_. That is one big demon. The girl screams as the large horned demon starts running our way, and I can see the girl fainting in Takahiro's arms before I turn around to face the charging boar demon.

"Keep her safe, Hiro!" I call out before leaping into the air.

The boar demon increases his speed as I fly towards him, and I can feel the force of our energies colliding as my shoulder is driven into his solar plexus. The demon grunts as he's pushed backwards, chunks of sidewalk are dug out from under his massive feet, and I land on the sidewalk as the demon wheezes. Now is the perfect time to attack, but my eyes are locked on the ground. _The sidewalk is cracked and jagged_. The sound of Takahiro yelling my name pulls me out of whatever-the-hell-that-was, and I look up just in time to see a large fist headed my way. There's no time to dodge, so I raise my arms and let my forearms take the brunt of the blow. The hit knocks me into the warehouse across the street, and I can see the demon gunning for Takahiro and the unconscious girl as I brush pieces of building off my shoulders.

Right before the demon can reach either of them, my feet connect with the side of his head. The demon stays on his feet, much to my frustration, and the fight continues. This isn't good. I can't keep fighting in the middle of the street; it's a miracle no one has noticed yet, even though we're in a mostly abandoned part of the city, but it's getting riskier the longer we keep fighting. Someone will eventually hear the noise. This has to end, but I'll have to use my demon energy to end it. Dammit. Blunt teeth close around the upper part of my right arm, and the pain is explosive and immediate. Cuts straight down to the bone. I can hear myself screaming as I raise my left hand in the air, and lightning strikes a moment later. The demon's teeth clench even tighter as he's struck by my lightning, but his giant body starts falling back. My electrified fist goes through his right eye socket, and his jaw loosens as my fist scrambles his brain.

Once the boar demon is good and dead, I slide off the side of his body until I'm sitting on the cracked sidewalk. My right arm is bleeding and hurtling something awful, the muscle of my bicep is completely shredded, and my breathing is erratic. Still no witnesses though, so that's a plus. I turn to look over my shoulder at Takahiro, to make sure that him and the girl are okay and maybe make a quip about deserving a skip day from school, but the questions freeze in my throat. Takahiro and the still unconscious girl are surrounded by several people in matching uniforms, and they're not average people. I can feel strong spirit energy coming off of all of them, and one of them steps forward towards me. He's tall and has an obnoxious looking mustache, but I guess I don't have any room to talk since I'm sitting on my ass and gaping up at him.

"Corentine Ohayashi!" Did he have to full-name me? I can already tell that he means serious business, because he's looking down at me like I'm a piece of dog shit that he's just stepped in. "You are in violation of Spirit World Law…"

" _You have to be careful, Corey. Never get on Spirit World's radar. They don't trust half-demons, and I don't know what they would do if they caught you. Promise me you'll be careful."_ I had promised my dad that I'd be careful, that I'd stay off Spirit World's radar, and it looks like I've just broken that promise.

"…under arrest."

"What?!" The man is moving behind me now, and I scream again as I'm roughly pulled to my feet. Half of my right arm is throbbing in pain, and some asshole yanking me around isn't helping any. Glowing spirit cuffs are placed on my wrists, forcing my injured arm to stay at a very painful angle, and I bite the inside of my wrist to keep from screaming as I look for Takahiro. Steel blue eyes meet mine from over a uniformed woman's shoulder, and I try to smile without parting my lips. It probably looks more like a grimace, but it's the thought that counts.

Before I can try to speak, to tell Takahiro that I'll be okay, I'm being pulled away. My vision goes dark as I'm compressed on all sides, and I don't know how much time passes before everything comes to a stop. My knees lock before I can fall, because I'll be damned if I'm going to fall flat on my face right after being arrested. I grit my teeth as I pull my shoulders back and straighten up, and my vision slowly starts to clear is the pain in my arm starts to become a little more manageable.

Okay, I'm in a large room and in front of a desk. A quick scan around the room shows me that it's empty, and not just empty of people. (Except for my arresting officer. He's still standing behind me.) There's nothing in the room, really, besides the desk. There's a screen on the wall behind me, but that's about it. If this is an office, it's a very bare one. My eyes move back in front of me, to the desk. There's papers on the desk and an empty chair behind it…Wait, no, the chair isn't empty. I can see a pair of wide brown eyes, a forehead with a weird tattoo on it, and a really large blue hat. Why is there a toddler in the desk chair?

"Corentine Ohayashi, you are under arrest for…Why are you laughing?!"

Laughing hurts. I can feel more blood oozing out of me with every laugh that shakes my body, but I can't help it. I did the right thing. I killed a demon that was chasing after a totally normal human girl, and now I'm under arrest. I'm eve wearing cuffs! I'm guessing I'm in Spirit World, and a freaking toddler is reading out my charges! This day makes absolutely no sense. From this exact moment to that weird ass nightmare…Nightmare, right.

"I'm still dreaming, right? Like a dream within a dream or something? There's no way this is real," I say between laughs. The toddler is scowling up at me, and tears are leaking out of my eyes as he moves to stand on top of his desk.

"This is no dream, missy! You are in serious trouble!" the toddler yells. The toddler is scolding me; my head falls back as my laughter picks up again, and I can hear a quiet gasp from somewhere behind me.

"Why is she in cuffs?! She's bleeding!" The voice is loud and definitely feminine, and I force my eyes to open. There's a woman standing next to the mustached bastard that arrested me, and her bright pink eyes are glaring at the toddler. The toddler makes some kind of hand motion, and the cuffs on my wrists are released. I let out a quiet grunt as my right arm is jarred, and I look over my shoulder to snarl at Mister Mustache as he leaves the room.

"Thanks for that, Blue," I say once the door closes behind the guy who arrested me. The blue haired woman looks at me with wide eyes, but maybe that's because she can see the line of holes in my arm now?

"I'll get you fixed right up! Don't you worry!" the woman yells and runs from the room.

"Kay! I'll just be here! Babysitting!" I yell after her. When I turn back around to face forward, the toddler is still looking up at me with a deep scowl etched across his face. Babies shouldn't look that serious. It's freaky.

"Now is not the time for jokes, Corentine." Ugh, full first name.

"It's Corey. No, wait, I don't know you enough for casual nicknames. It's Ohayashi. Please tell me you're not the person in charge," I say and make a show of looking around the room. There's no else around. It's just me and the toddler.

"My name is Prince Koenma, and I am actually over six hundred years old. Now, you have been arrested for—"

"I found the first aid kit!" The toddler, Koenma, makes a kind of frustrated growl as the blue haired woman runs back into the room. I'm really starting to like her. She drops a white box on top of the desk, next to where the prince is standing, and quickly pops the top open.

"Thanks, Blue, but I'm trying to hear my charges. Let me guess, I'm under arrest for saving a girl's life? What's the punishment for that?" I ask. Koenma stuffs his hands in his sleeves as he looks up at me, and I can see Blue move around to start pouring something over my arm. Oh, alcohol. It burns, but I keep still. I'm not losing my staring contest with the Prince of Spirit World, and I need to get patched up anyway before I bleed out.

"You killed a demon in broad daylight. You used demonic energy in a human city. These are serious crimes, Coren—Ohayashi," Koenma says seriously. Blue is patting my arm dry now and holding gauze in her other hand, and I let my head hang forward for a moment. Serious crimes…humans don't know that demons exist, and it's Spirit World's job to keep it that way. So I fucked up big time.

"Yeah, I know, but what was I supposed to do? Let him kill that girl? Just walk away? That ain't my style," I say and try to grin. It feels forced, like the muscles in my face are fighting against my usual expression, so I'm sure it doesn't look anything close to a smile. I'm not taking the words back though, no matter how weird my face looks right now. "My dad raised me to use my energy to _help_ people, that includes spirit energy and demon energy, and that's exactly what I did. I saved that girl."

"Yes, your father…Tetsuo Ohayashi. He died a few months ago, correct?" Fresh pain rocks through me, with anger surging right behind it. It's barely been six months since my dad died, and I'm still coping. Still grieving. I usually grieve with my fists, so maybe I was always going to wind up here.

"That's not why I'm here," I grit out. My jaw is locked as Blue carefully wraps my arm, and I can tell that she's trying to be gentle. It's a nice gesture, considering I'm a criminal and everything now. Can I vote for her to be the ruler of Spirit World?

"No, you are here because you broke the law. Laws that exist to—"

"Look, _sir_ ," I drawl out and then narrow my eyes before continuing, "but I don't need the lecture. I broke some laws, and now I'm here. So spare me the long drawn out lecture, okay? Just tell me where we go from here."

"There, all done," Blue whispers and steps away. Her pale hands are covered in blood, my blood, and my eyes watch the way that she uses a little alcohol and a small cloth to clean her hands. The sight's almost familiar. No, not familiar. I don't know her, so seeing _my_ blood on _her_ hands can't be familiar. My head shakes as I try to clear it, and I clench my jaw as I look over at Koenma again. I'm ready for this to be over with.

"I've read your file, Ohayashi. You're strong for a half-demon, Mid B-Class, and you've only ever killed demons when there was no other choice. Your father was a strong human psychic with a very clear moral code, one that you and your adopted brother both follow."

"Cut to the chase," I growl out. I'm hurting, I'm still under arrest, and I'm still hungry. This day is already horrible, and I don't want to stand here and listen to things that I already know. Koenma sucks furiously on the pacifier in his mouth for a moment, and I take the brief period of silence to wonder how this became my life. I'm getting lectured by a toddler with a freakin' pacifier in his mouth!

"You can either spend the next century in jail, or you can fight on the Guest Team in the Dark Tournament."

Everything in my brain just _stops_. It's like I can hear my thoughts grinding to a halt, and all I can hear is my own ragged breathing. Koenma is looking at me expectantly, waiting on an answer, and Blue is looking at me with wide and worried eyes. A century in jail? I'm only fourteen! I can't spend the next hundred years locked up in some kind of cage! What about Takahiro? All we have now is each other, and there's no way I can leave him alone for that long. But…the Dark Tournament? Dad told us about it, during one of our many history lessons, and I didn't like the sound of the tournament. Demons fighting to the death for rich humans' amusement? Yeah, not my kind of thing. It's like the worst qualities of both of my species. Demons die in that tournament, that's the main source of entertainment, and I'm just a halfbreed. I'm pretty strong for a halfbreed, especially at my age, but I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to survive a series of death matches. Then again, fighting in the tournament gives me a chance. If I can survive the tournament, I'll be free. If I go with the first option, I'll be locked away with no chance at freedom for at least a hundred years.

It looks like my decision is kinda obvious.

"Dark Tournament, huh? Sounds like fun," I say with false cheer.

"You need to really think this over. Once you agree, there is no backing out," Koenma says slowly.

"What's there to think over? A century of living in a cage versus a few fights? I'll take my chances fighting." Koenma looks unsure for a moment, but his expression quickly evens out. He snaps his fingers, and Blue snaps to attention. My head turns as I watch her race from the room, and I raise a brow at Koenma as I turn back to face him.

"You'll need to start training more. This tournament is serious business." Koenma drops down to sit on top of the desk instead of standing on it, and I slowly move my right arm so that the lower half of my arm is being held horizontally across my stomach. The position means that the upper part of my arm is a little more stable, but it's still throbbing in pain.

"What's the matter, sir? Having second thoughts about sending a kid into a death match?" I ask. I expect Koenma to glare at me or make some kind of angry remark, but his face drops into something that looks a little more guilty. Scratch that. A _lot_ more guilty. That's kinda stupid of him. I'm the one that made the decision. "Don't sweat it, sir. I've been killing demons since my energy manifested at four. I ain't about to let myself get killed now."

"I've got the paperwork!" Blue yells as she slides back into the room. Koenma's guilty expression evens out again, like he's just burying everything under a blank face, and Blue slaps a stack of papers down onto the desk next to where Koenma is sitting.

"The tournament begins on December 26th. On that date, Botan will retrieve you and take you to meet your team," Koenma says and inclines his head towards Blue. So that's what her name is. It's pretty. Suits her.

"Merry-freakin'-Christmas," I mutter. The tournament people couldn't schedule it during the school year? The least they could do is give me a good excuse for missing school, but it looks like the tournament is going to be held over a break. "I want my brother to come with me. Not to fight, but as moral support or whatever. If you say no, he'll just follow me anyway."

"I believe something can be arranged," Koenma says and looks over at Blue. I mean, Botan.

"I'll take care of it!" Botan says happily. She's what I imagine happiness would look like if the emotion could take human form.

"So, paperwork?" I ask.

Signing the paperwork with my left hand is awkward, but I make it work. One of the signatures is my understanding that I am now labeled as a criminal, and that black mark is going in my permanent Spirit World file. The next sheet has to be signed to show that I am willingly agreeing to enter into the Dark Tournament in place of going to jail for a century. The last bit of paperwork is an assurance that I know there's a chance that I might die in the Dark Tournament and that I'm agreeing to go despite that understanding. It's almost like signing a will. When I'm done, Botan rushes the paperwork out of the room.

"I believe you made the right decision, Ohayashi," Koenma says and looks up at me.

"You have to say that to help with your guilt," I drawl out. It's not even, and I already feel drained. Maybe Takahiro will let us skip school after this. I deserve a day off now, right?

"Do you ever think before speaking?" Koenma asks as Botan returns to the room.

"Not really," I shrug. Filters are for losers. Koenma makes a quiet sound in his throat and then glances at Botan before focusing his full attention on me.

"Botan will check in with you once a week, to see how your training is progressing. For now, your brother is waiting for you at your home."

"Then take me home."

An oar appears out of absolutely nowhere, and Botan jumps into the air and lands perfectly on it. She smiles as she reaches a hand down towards me, and I flinch as I instinctively try to raise my right hand. Nope, still too much damage. I carefully roll the tension out of my neck and reach up with my left hand, and Botan lifts me into the air like I weigh nothing. Yeah, I'm a little on the slim side, but I've got some lean muscles from my scattered amount of training. Looks like I'll have to train a little more seriously now. My left hand grips the oar as Botan flies us straight through the wall and out into open air, and I clench my eyes shut. What? I'm not a fan of heights.

"Corey? We're here," Botan says quietly. I'm not sure how much time has passed, but my face feels cold from all of the rushing wind. I carefully peel my eyes open, but we're only hovering a few feet over the ground. My house is in front of me, and I slip off the oar to stand in my front yard.

"See ya in a week." My voice sounds like a croak as I look at the front of my house, and it sounds like there's still wind rushing around me. I tip my head back to watch Botan take off, and she's just a small dot in the sky in a matter of seconds.

"COREY!" The front door rattles as it's thrown open, and Takahiro comes barreling down the stairs a moment later without his usual graceful movements. Wide and panicked blue eyes meet mine as he stumbles into the yard, but he stops before he reaches me. Maybe it's because I'm laughing like some kind of lunatic? "What happened?"

"I'm a registered criminal!" I yell up at the sky between laughs. Maybe, if I yell loud enough, Dad will be able to hear me in the afterlife. "I almost got put in jail for a hundred years! But I went with door number two instead!"

"Door number two?" I'm laughing so hard that tears start to streak down my cheeks as I look at Takahiro, and something in my brain must have snapped at some point because I can't even feel the pain in my arm as my whole body shakes.

"I'm gonna fight in the Dark Tournament! I'll probably die, but it beats jail, right?!"

I watch as Takahiro's face crumbles, thin brows drawing down as his eyes squeeze shut and his lips pinch into a thin line, and my head falls back as my screaming laughter continues. I'm going to fight in a series of death matches, against full blooded demons, but I'm just a kid. Yeah, being a halfbreed with manifested spirit and demon energy at an early age meant that I had to grow up pretty fast, but this is just ridiculous! I watched my dad die a few months ago, and I still wake up screaming for him to come back. Takahiro still wakes up screaming…how are we supposed to handle this? How do I handle this? I can't die yet. I can't leave Takahiro behind. I'm all he has.

Arms wrap tight around my shoulders, and the side of my face is suddenly pressed against Takahiro's chest. I'm not laughing anymore. Instead, I'm just screaming as I cry. My chest is stuttering because I can't take a full breath, and my left hand grips the back of Takahiro's shirt as I hold him close to me. He's my brother, my family…I can't leave him. Black dots appear in my vision as breathing becomes more difficult, and I can feel Takahiro pulling on me. No, pushing on me. Trying to push me away. My left arm tightens around him as I turn to press my face against his chest, and I can barely hear the sound of his voice over the loud roaring in my ears.

"Breathe, Corey. You have to breathe." My head shakes as I just cling tighter to him, and I can hear myself starting to gasp as Takahiro lowers us to the ground. I'm holding onto him so tight that he falls back onto his ass instead of kneeling, and I can feel fingers running through my hair as I crawl into his lap.

One hand tightly grips the back of my neck as Takahiro starts to rock, and his other arm wraps tight around my lower back. My right arm is tucked between our bodies, and my left arm is locked around his shoulders. Takahiro continues to rock us as I cry against his chest, and I listen as he begs me to breathe. To take in a full breath. Just one breath, Corey. Every time I try to stop crying and start breathing normally though, I can see Takahiro kneeling in the dirt where our dad died. All I can see is Takahiro holding Dad as he took his last breaths and see the look on Takahiro's face when Dad was gone. He shut down, and it was like looking at a stranger. Takahiro didn't even look like himself right after Dad died. It was like something in him shattered, but he's covered the cracks with duct tape. What's he going to look like if I die fighting in the tournament? Will my death break him?

"I don't want to die," I choke out. Takahiro's hold on me gets stronger, my neck and right hip are going to have bruises from his fingers, and I realize that my face has gone numb as I gasp wetly through my sobbing.

"Then don't die." Takahiro says it like it's easy, and the hand on the back of my neck moves up to fist in my hair. I'm pulled back enough to see Takahiro's face, and his cheeks are streaked with tears. Takahiro is…crying? He didn't even cry when Dad died! "Fight in the tournament and win. Don't die."

"H-Hiro?" Takahiro's forehead presses tight against mine, and we're so close now that our tears are mingling together. My breathing is still erratic, too short and fast, and Takahiro is still rocking our bodies back and forth.

"Fight and don't die. You're not allowed to die. I say that you're not allowed to die, got it?"

" _You're not allowed to give up, you got it?"_

That's what I said when we were seven, when Dad was fighting to adopt Takahiro. He'd felt like a burden, like he was getting in the way, and he'd yelled at Dad one day to just stop. To give up on him. That he could just stay at the orphanage. Dad had been too shocked to say anything at first, but I'd just felt angry. Takahiro was already my brother at that point, and no one was allowed to just give up on my brother. Including the idiot himself. I'd pushed Takahiro and knocked him over, and I'd stood over him with tears in my eyes as I yelled at him. As I told him that he wasn't allowed to give up, because we were already brother and sister. (Even then. Before a couple of papers made it legal.) He was my brother, and it was my job to look after him. So he wasn't allowed to give up. Just like I can't give up now.

"Fight and win," I force out.

"Fight and win," Takahiro echoes. He pulls me in close again with a tight grip against the back of my neck, so that my chest is against his and my chin is hooked over his shoulder. Short harsh breaths cause my chest to burn, and my body is still shaking even though I'm not crying anymore. I don't think I have any tears left in me. "Come on, match your breathing with mine. Inhale. Hold it. Exhale."

It takes a few tries, several tries, before I get a shaky inhale to match up with Takahiro's. My first full exhale burns and ends with a quiet choke, and Takahiro just rubs circles on my back as I try again. By the time our breathing is in sync, my ass is numb and the sun is starting to dip below the tree line. The pain in my arm returns with a dull throb that echoes my racing heartbeat, and my whole body slumps against Takahiro. He easily takes my weight, and I just hold on as he shifts his arms around me and then stands up. I know that Takahiro won't drop me, so I just close my eyes and hold on.

 **Botan**

"Are we really sure about this, sir?" I ask quietly as we watch the large screen in Koenma's office. Corey looks so small curled up in her brother's arms, and Takahiro keeps glancing down at his sister as he walks towards their home. "They're just children."

"We don't know how old they really are, because they are from the future. If there's a chance that we can change the future, the future that they have seen, we have to take it. I know it seems cruel, Botan, but they both agreed."

"I know. It just doesn't seem fair," I sigh as they disappear inside the home. The first time they saw me, they looked at me funny. Like they were seeing a ghost. Considering the future they come from, that's not a comforting thought. Then there was what happened at Genkai's.

Watching as Takahiro choked and Corey's hand split apart wasn't easy, but I had kept quiet and just watched as Genkai talked with them. Well, the older psychic mostly just talked to Corey. Then there was that moment…when Corey first refused to enter in the tournament and Takahiro talked her into it, I've never heard so much _sadness_. Corey had nearly begged to not have to do it, and it had seemed like Takahiro hated having to talk her into it. The way they talked about their friends, about the team, was so heartbreaking that I hadn't been able to help crying. Especially when Takahiro asked Corey to fight for _their_ team, for the team that was already gone.

The two of them have already suffered so much. I could tell that just by looking into their eyes. So much sadness and desperation. So much guilt. It doesn't seem right to hurt them like this. To make them forget their lives and put them through something like the Dark Tournament. It doesn't matter how old they were when they died. Right now, they believe that they are only fourteen. The same age that Yusuke was when he died. This isn't fair on any of them.

 **Corey**

 _Fingers lace through mine as I stare straight ahead, but all I can see is a blurry blob of gray. Probably because I can't seem to stop crying. Next to me, Takahiro is standing with his back straight and his eyes completely clear. I don't know how he's doing it. I feel like I've been crying for days. Standing in front of my dad's headstone isn't stopping the leaking faucets that my eyes have turned into either. I hate feeling like this._

" _He'd tell us to be strong," Takahiro says after a moment._

" _He'd tell us to take care of each other," I add. Those were Dad's last words._ Take care of each other. _Like he had to ask? Of course Takahiro and I are going to take care of each other._

" _We can make it through this." I reach up to wipe at my eyes, and my vision clears so that I can read my dad's name on the headstone. This is going to hurt. I'm going to get sad, and angry, and who-knows how many other emotions while I try to deal with this. While I try to move on. I know that, just like I know that I'll be okay because I don't have to do this alone. Dad's gone, but I'm not alone._

" _You damn right we will," I say and grin up at Takahiro. Fingers tighten around mine as one side of his lips tips up into a smile, and I knock my temple against his arm. "Come on, let's go home."_

I'm jolted back into consciousness as my bed shakes, and it takes my eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. When I can see again, the first thing I notice is Takahiro shaking next to me. Right. Because we came straight to my room after Takahiro carried me inside, and we fell asleep. Now he's curled into a tight ball with his back to me, and his knees are pulled up to his chest. I can hear him mumbling under his breath, but it's too low for me to make out the words. My hand reaches out to grab Takahiro's shoulder, and I realize my mistake a few seconds too late.

Takahiro instantly curls up even tighter and rolls off the side of the bed, and I can hear him apologizing as he skitters across the floor. He doesn't stop until his back hits against my closet door, and I quickly crawl after him. His knees are tucked in tight against his chest again by the time I reach him, and he's gripping his hair in his fists. His whole body is shaking, but he isn't crying. Takahiro never cries. (Except for earlier…he cried when he told me not to die.) My hands carefully grip his wrists, before he can pull his hair out, and I make quiet shushing sounds as he suddenly goes quiet.

"I won't go back," he says after a moment. Yeah, I had a feeling that was what he was dreaming about. I keep a hold on his wrists as I move to his side, and I curl up next to him. We're sitting on the floor side-by-side, and I lean my head against Takahiro's shoulder.

"You never have to go back there, okay? I don't care what happens, you never have to go back there. You believe me, don't you?" I don't even know if Takahiro is awake. For all I know, he might still be lost inside of a nightmare of that horrible orphanage.

"I had a dream that you died." Takahiro's voice is rough, and I use my hold on his wrist to pull his arm down so I can lace my arm through his. "Everything was so red, and you died."

"Well, we'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen, huh?" I'm not even surprised that Takahiro had a nightmare after our emotional day, but I hate that he's having nightmares about the orphanage again. He hasn't had one of those in years.

"That simple?" he asks. I nuzzle my cheek against his arm as I hum, because I'm going to make it that simple. I'm going to go into the tournament believing that I'm going to win, because I won't settle for anything less. I have to win, because I'm not going to die.

"That simple. Now, why don't you get in the shower while I go get some snacks?" Takahiro lifts his head, and I can just make out the dark color of his eyes as he glances over at me. He nods, slowly, and I get to my feet. I have to use my left arm to pull Takahiro up, since my right arm is still sore, and I lightly push against his back.

"I'm okay," Takahiro mumbles as I push him into the bathroom. I flip the light on and then grin as Takahiro looks over his shoulder at me.

"You've got an impulsive and irrational sister. You're never gonna be okay," I say. Takahiro rolls his eyes, but he's the one that's constantly pointing out how _impulsive_ and _irrational_ I am.

"No sugar. We need to get some more sleep before school tomorrow," Takahiro instructs as he turns around. That means his back is facing me as he slips his uniform shirt off, because neither one of us ever changed after this morning, and my eyes are immediately drawn to the lines on his back. They've faded over time, into a pale pink color, but there's so many. The scars crisscross his skin from the tops of his shoulders to the small of his back, and I hate that those bastards from the orphanage hurt him like that.

Takahiro's earliest memories are of the orphanage. That's where he was left right after his birth, and that was all he knew. The couple that ran the orphanage knew that Takahiro was a demon, and they blamed him for every single that went wrong. If something in the orphanage broke, it was the demon's fault. If one of the other (human) orphans misbehaved, it was the demon's fault. If one of the owners was having a bad day, it was the demon's fault. Takahiro's nearly daily punishments were consistent. Lashes from a thin bamboo stick. Takahiro never said a word, so Dad and I never found out until after we adopted Takahiro and moved him in with us. Takahiro would have nightmares about the orphanage, and he opened up after a few months and showed us his back. Even Dad was tempted to hunt down and kill the orphanage owners after seeing the multitude of scars on Takahiro's back, despite his strict moral code, but he managed to calm himself down. (He reported it to the authorities instead. That couple is still in prison and will probably never be free again.)

Those bastards hurt my brother. All these years later, he still has nightmares and sometimes has to take a break when his back starts hurting him. I swore to myself, to my dad and to Takahiro, that I'd keep Takahiro safe. I'd only been eight at the time, but I meant it. I meant it with every little fiber, and I still mean it. It's my job to look after Takahiro, so I can't die. I _won't_ die.

"So I guess that means I can't skip school until after the tournament?" I'm the one who told Takahiro to never be ashamed of his scars, so I'm used to seeing them. It doesn't mean I can't still get angry on his behalf though.

"That would put you too far behind." My eyes close as Takahiro finishes undressing, and I lean back against the bathroom doorway as the shower starts.

"I think I've come to a decision about this tournament business." The steady sound of the shower stutters, and my eyes open once I'm sure that Takahiro is in the shower and hidden by the shower curtain.

"What decision is that?" He sounds more like himself now, which is a relief. I don't like seeing Takahiro upset.

"I'm going to win. No more crying or freaking out, because there's no need. Because I'm going to kick some demon ass and then we're coming back home. How does that sound?" Takahiro's laugh is a little warped, probably because he's under the fall of water, but it's a good sound.

"That sounds like a plan."

* * *

 **Ending Note:** For anyone that's curious, I cried continuously throughout this chapter. Writing is really difficult when you can't see anymore.

Moving on! The next chapter is going to jump straight into the Dark Tournament, so I'm going to skip over Corey's training. The Dark Tournament arc is going to last for seven chapters, and there's going to be a lot of familiar scenes from the anime. A lot of things are going to be added and switched around though, so it shouldn't be too boring.

I'd love to know thoughts on this chapter! Was it as emotional for you as it was for me?

 **SakiHanajima1:** Cry, scream, dance, jump, or shout? Do it all! I've done them all while writing. I love writing for Hiei in this story! Him and Corey were close friends. Since Takahiro is her brother, Hiei was her best friend. So it's going to be interesting to write their new relationship. Ah, Yusuke…I'm glad you liked the flashbacks! Well, to make a chapter super emotional, I put on really sad music and let myself cry as I type. Things are gonna be a little weird after the Dark Tournament, when Corey and Hiro get their memories back, but I don't want to give too much away! We'll all just have to wait and see. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEW!

 **StrawberryHuggles:** I'm sorry about the feels rollercoaster. For what it's worth, I'm right there with you! Yeah, Corey and Hiro have it kind of rough. I wish I could say it's going to get better, but well…it's not looking good so far. After the tournament is over, the blocks on their memories will be removed. So, yes, there is going to be a clash of memories. There'll be memories from the original timeline and then conflicting memories from this timeline, and things will be confusing for a bit. It'll definitely be emotional, I can promise you that! Haha, I love Corey and Hiro. She's technically the older sibling, by a month, but Hiro is definitely a mother hen. THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEW!


	5. Team Bonding Is Totally Overrated

**Author's Note:** First off, thank you to everyone who has added this story to their favorites or followed it! I do a little happy dance every time I get an email telling me that someone has liked or followed my story, so I do notice and appreciate it when people follow and favorite. And a big THANK YOU to my reviewers! You're the reason I'm inspired to write and update faster!

 **Post Date:** 03 August 2017

 **Word Count:** 6395

* * *

 **Chapter Five  
** **Team Bonding Is Totally Overrated**

 **Dark Tournament: Day 1  
** **[Episodes 26-27]**

 **1990 December 26**

 **Corey**

"Best of luck, Corey! And be on the lookout for your team!" Botan calls out as she takes off into the air.

"What?! You're just gonna dump me in the woods?! This is where young girls go to die!" My hands are cupped around my mouth as I yell, and I can just barely hear Botan laughing as she disappears. Takahiro left with Botan earlier today, along with my bag and favorite weapons, because Botan said I had to be dropped off separately to meet my team. My team, who is also the Spirit Detective Team. Botan has told me stories and given me vivid descriptions of the four guys, but I still haven't met them. And now I'm walking in the woods, alone. That's just fantastic.

My feet are quiet as I walk through the woods, even though I desperately want to stomp and cause a ruckus, but I'm quiet because I'm not a complete idiot. There's no telling who, or what, is hiding in this dark and shady forest. So I keep my steps quiet and hold back from screaming in frustration. Instead, I just grumble under my breath as I walk. I curse the damn boar demon that caused me to get arrested, I curse Koenma for giving me an ultimatum, and I try to curse Botan but I can't because the Grim-freakin'-Reaper is happiness personified.

"You lost or something?" I stop grumbling under my breath as I look up, and the first thing I notice is the guy's eyes. Wide, curious, and a deep brown that instantly makes me think of chocolate. I'd kill for some chocolate right about now. Takahiro has kept me on a strict diet for the past couple of months…now isn't the time to daydream about chocolate though. The guy in front of me is about my age, feels powerful enough, and is most definitely human. Black hair, about five-six, and a cocky looking smirk?

"Not anymore. Yusuke Urameshi, right? I'm Corey Ohayashi, your fifth team member," I say and hold out a hand. He has a bag slung over his shoulder, and he looks at my hand for a moment before shrugging as if to say, _"What the hell?"_ His palm claps against mine, and his hand is warm and rough. Definitely a fighter's hand. I hope that's a good omen.

"Koenma didn't tell me he recruited a girl," Yusuke says and cocks his head to the side. His eyes quickly sweep over me, and I cross my arms under my chest. Maybe I should have worn something besides a pair of denim shorts and a blank tank? I didn't see the point in trying to impress my teammates with my looks, because all that matters is how I fight. Right?

"What? You don't think girls can be tough?" I ask and raise a brow. Yusuke just grins as he reaches up to rub the back of his neck, and I shift nervously from foot to foot. I never shift nervously. Why am I shifting nervously?

"I know a few girls that would kick my ass if I said no," he says and laughs a little. It's a good look on him. His nose scrunches up a little as he laughs, but there's something about him that's off. I just can't seem to put my finger on it. "Let's go find the others!"

Yusuke takes off walking immediately, which leaves me scrambling to catch up to him. I'm only four-ten, which means that he's a good half a foot taller than me. His strides are longer than mine, but I'm used to walking fast to keep up with Takahiro. Before long I'm walking beside him, but we're both quiet as we weave our way around the trees. After a few minutes, I can hear the muted sounds of voices coming from somewhere up ahead of us. It looks like we're getting close. The trees start to thin out a little as the voices become louder, and I can smell burning wood. What? Did someone decide to start a campfire?

*"…some stragglers!" I hear as we get a little closer.

*"Then we'll have to put a mark on their heads and send out a hitman. Standard rule of the tournament," a deeper voice replies. Wait, is he talking about us? Because we're here! No need for a hitman.

*"Now, now! That's not necessary!" Yusuke yells as we finally reach the group. It looks like it's a lot more than just our team. It looks like there's enough demons gathered around to create several different teams.

A really tall human yells back, and I stand back as Yusuke greets the rest of the team. The tall human is Kuwabara, the demon that's my height is Hiei, and the redheaded demon is Kurama. I should be able to keep all their names straight. I have to, since they're my team until the end of the tournament. They look exactly the way Botan described, and I raise a brow as Hiei suddenly attacks Yusuke. It's not to kick his ass or anything, it's more like he's…testing him? Yeah, it looks like he's testing him. How odd. After they come to a stop, I can hear Hiei asking about the _little one_ being their fifth member. Who's he calling little?! We're the same height!

"You mean this short chick?!" Kuwabara yells as he stumbles in front of me. I have to lean back a little to actually see his face, and I smile wide enough to bare my teeth in a feral grin. Yeah, I might be short but I can still kick demon ass.

"Koenma picked her," Yusuke shrugs. When he glances over at me, I narrow my eyes. Yusuke sighs and then adds, "I think she'll be alright. Koenma wouldn't give us someone who couldn't fight."

"I dunno. She barely comes to my waist," Kuwabara mumbles.

" _Which is why I'd start with your kneecaps,"_ I think as he bends over to look even closer at me. I know I should probably speak up and try to defend myself, but this is kind of amusing. I'm being judged on my size, of all things. I thought someone would mention the halfbreed thing to start off with. Demons always start the smack talk with the halfbreed thing. One of them also could have objected to the fact that I'm a girl, because most fighters are sexist, but they're just concerned with my _height_.

"Forget her, Yusuke and I are all that we'll require," Hiei says. Confident little guy, isn't he? Before anyone can say anything else, the captain of the ship that's supposed to take us to the island where the tournament is being held starts to yell for us to board. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei lead the way towards the boat behind the large groups of demons. That leaves me and Kurama at the very end of the line, and I try to keep my chin up as the fox demon studies me from the corner of his eye.

The attention is pulled away from me once we're on the boat, which is a bit of a relief. There's something about being under Kurama's scrutiny that makes me feel nervous, and it's not just because he's really beautiful for a guy. His gaze is unsettling. Like he's trying to find all of my weaknesses. So, yeah, I'm going to stick with unsettling. I can't think about Kurama's pretty green gaze for too long though, because the boat takes off. The guys immediately go to a railing and settle in, and my eyes widen just a little as Yusuke drops to the ground and falls asleep. This guy is supposed to be the team leader? The Spirit Detective that gives demons nightmares? He's sleeping! The other three guys talk amongst each other, and I stand off to the side with my arms crossed as I look at all of the demons on the boat. This could get ugly, fast.

*"Alrighty, maties!" The captain starts to give an announcement, something about entertainment, and then he's talking about a preliminary battle. That's just great. While the guys are talking and a ring appears out of the center of the boat, I'm looking around at all of the demons gathered together. None of them feel particularly strong. The captain says that only one team from the boat will get to make it to the island, and he tells each team to pick their strongest fighter for a battle royal.

Demons all over the boat start to trade quips and smack talk, and my head drops as I sigh a little. Yusuke is still sleeping, Kuwabara is yelling, Kurama looks contemplative, and Hiei is actually standing on the railing like he's some kind of evil overlord. No one is making a decision about anything, and we really don't have time to squabble. None of the demons feel very strong, and this can be my chance to show the team that I'm not some kind of weakling. The rest of the team has already fought together, which leaves me as the odd one out. Well, there's no time like the present.

I make my way up to the ring, and I bite down on my grin as demons growl and grudgingly move out of my way. I roll my shoulders once I'm in the ring and look across the open space at the other demons in the ring. I can hear them muttering to each other, about attacking the fighter from the human team first before taking on each other, and my eyes roll as I shift into a loose fighting stance. Bunch of weaklings. They ain't gonna know what hit them.

"Quit yappin' and come on! I ain't got all night!" I yell. The demons all start charging at once, like I'd hoped, and gold energy starts to spark around my fist. Right before the first demon can reach me, I twist my hips and throw out a single punch. Energy laced with lightning hits the group of demons, and some of them get a little fried before being thrown overboard. Once the last demon is tossed over the side of the boat, I straighten up and shake my head. That was too easy.

"Good job, Shorty!" Kuwabara yells as I walk up to the team.

"You should really pay attention," I tell him as demons start to surround us. The demons are clearly upset about a (mostly) human team winning, so it looks like they're going to attack us to try and take our place. That's just bad manners.

My team separates as the demons start to attack, and I can only see glimpses of my new team as I kill the demons that are after me. Kuwabara's spirit sword looks pretty awesome, even though I'm still kind of mad at him for continuing to call me short. I know I'm short, but he could notice something else about me! Hiei is just a blur as he moves and cuts through demons, and watching him kind of makes me feel dizzy. Kurama is off on the side with a long vine that he's using as a whip and is surrounded by rose petals. This is my team. This is who I'm going to have to depend on to keep me alive. The sound of a loud yell catches my attention after I kill the last demon that came for me, and my jaw drops as I realize that Yusuke has managed to punch a demon out while still being asleep.

*"What happened to the fight we were just in?" Kuwabara asks after mumbling to himself for a moment.

*"They're all dead," Kurama says and walks off. Hiei walks next to him, and I shrug at Kuwabara before walking after them. They stop next to the railing where Yusuke is still sleeping, and I lean back against the railing and cross my arms as three pairs of curious eyes turn towards me.

"You're a lightning demon?" Kurama asks. Hiei makes a quiet snorting sound behind Kurama's back, probably because both demons can tell that I'm only _half_ demon, and I make sure to lock my eyes with Kurama's. Which isn't much of a hardship, because his bright green eyes are beautiful. Which is totally not something I should focus on. I'm not on a luxury cruise ship. I'm on a boat that's possibly taking me to the place of my death. With that sobering thought, I twist my lips into a smirk and give an answer that they're probably not expecting.

"Half of one. The other half is human." Most halfbreeds hate owning up to the fact that they're half human, or half demon, but I like being a halfbreed.

"I didn't know it was possible to be half human and half demon," Kuwabara says quietly and leans down closer to study me. Like I'm some kind of science experiment. He straightens up suddenly and smiles, and I wait to see what he's going to say next. "That's okay with me, Shorty! As long as you keep fightin' like you did earlier!"

"My name is Corey, not Shorty. Height has nothing to do with my fighting ability," I say and glare up at the very tall human. Kuwabara's cheeks turn a light pink in embarrassment, and he nods once before speaking again.

"Nice to meet you, Corey! My name's Kazuma Kuwabara! That's Kurama, and the other short one over there is Hiei." Kuwabara points as he introduces the two demons, and Kurama smiles politely while Hiei looks in the opposite direction.

"Hi," I drawl and then turn around to face the water.

So, the tournament hasn't even really begun and we've already had to fight. I wish I could say that I was surprised, but I'm really not. I can hear the three awake guys talking as we get steadily closer to Hanging Neck Island, and I know that I should join in. That I should try to get in some team bonding before we reach the island. I don't know these guys though, and I can't help worrying about Takahiro. He should either already be on the island or on his way, but I won't be able to find him until Botan shows up. I kinda need Takahiro too, both to help keep me from freaking out and because he's holding my weapons. I can fight with my fists, sure, but I'd rather have my staff. I don't even have my daggers on me.

"So, how'd you get stuck on our team?" When I look over, Kuwabara is leaning against the railing next to me. Hiei and Kurama are talking quietly several feet away, and Yusuke is still unconscious. I stop looking around and meet Kuwabara's eyes, and I decide to keep eye contact as I answer. (Liars look away, and I'm not a liar.)

"I got arrested by Spirit World." At Kuwabara's slightly shocked look, I feel my heartrate increase as I quickly try to explain. "Not for anything bad! Me and my brother were on our way to school, we were running late, and this girl ran right into us! Bam! Some big smelly demon was trying to eat her, so I killed him. Had to use my energy to do it though, in the middle of a city. So I got arrested, and I could either go to jail for a century or fight in the tournament. I didn't like the idea of bein' caged."

"That's a bad deal. You were just tryin' to help," Kuwabara says quietly. Okay, so maybe I can forgive him for all of the short comments. I sigh as I lean against the railing again, because I'd stood up straight and explained my situation while waving my arms around like a crazy person, and I realize that Kuwabara is mirroring my position.

"Yeah, but I know the rules. I just wasn't thinkin' in the moment, you know?"

"Girl okay?" Kuwabara actually looks concerned when I glance over at him, and the question helps me to relax. Annoying nickname aside, he seems like a good guy. (Botan said he was a good guy, but I want to be able to determine things on my own.)

"Last I heard. Spirit World did some weird thing to explain it all away, but she wasn't hurt or anything." Nope, the large boar demon was the only one that got hurt. Well, him and my arm. The bite marks healed after a few days though, and I feel fine now.

Kuwabara and I are quiet as the island steadily gets closer, but it isn't a weird or awkward silence. I don't think either of us really knows what to say, I definitely don't know what to say, and I think we're both a little nervous. Kuwabara doesn't do anything that shows that he's nervous, but common sense tells us all to be nervous. I mean, we're standing on a boat littered with dead demons that tried to kill us. We're getting closer and closer to the island where we'll have to fight for our lives. I'm totally allowed to be nervous right now, and that feeling only increases as the ship docks. The captain makes a few announcements, but we all ignore him as we start to walk off the ship. I'm walking behind everyone else, and I pause before I'm halfway across the ship. Our fearless leader is still napping.

"This is so not what I signed up for," I sigh and walk back over to him. I grab his bag first and tie it onto one of my belt loops, and I take a steadying breath before leaning down. I get a tight grip on his forearm and heft him up, and I dip down just enough to get his midsection braced against the back of my neck. I keep a hold on his arm as I straighten my back up, and I use my other arm to hook around one of his legs. It's not the best fireman's carry in the world, but it'll do for the moment. Also, this kid weighs a ton. I thought he'd just looked kind of lean, but he must be packing some serious muscle.

"Whoa! You want some help?" Kuwabara asks as I catch up to the others. I can't exactly look over at him, since I'm carrying Yusuke across my shoulders, but it's not that bad.

"Nah, I can handle it. Just don't let me walk into wall or somethin', okay?" Kuwabara laughs quietly as a large hotel comes into view, and I shift Yusuke around to get a better grip before we walk inside. We pause just inside the doors, because the hotel lobby is full of humans dressed like they're getting ready for a ball or something.

A man dressed in a suit greets us after we walk inside and tells us they've been waiting for us, _ha!_ , and then he leads us through the hotel. I can hear the humans whispering as we walk towards the elevator, about how we don't look like much and about how we'll all be dead pretty soon, and I grit my teeth as I momentarily tighten my grip on Yusuke's arm. All our leader does is let out a quiet snore, and I sigh a little as we walk onto the elevator. The ride up to our room is quiet, and the hallway is empty when we step off the elevator. The man opens a door for us and bows as we walk inside, and Kuwabara closes the door once we're all inside.

"There's only three rooms," Kuwabara says as he looks around the hotel room. I bend my knees and roll my shoulders, and Yusuke's body flips off my shoulders to land on his back on one of the couches.

"Each room has two beds. I believe it is customary for the team leader to have a room for himself, but I think we can make an exception for Corey." Man, Kurama has the smoothest voice I have ever heard. It's unnatural.

"Normally I'd argue about the sexist nature of that exception," I start as my fingers untie Yusuke's bag from my belt loop. "But I really don't wanna room with any of you. Thanks, Kurama."

"Guess that leaves me with Urameshi," Kuwabara sighs and grabs Yusuke's bag before I can drop it onto the floor. Kuwabara walks into one of the rooms to put down his and Yusuke's stuff, and Kurama and Hiei move off into a separate room to do the same. That leaves the room on the far right as mine, but I don't have my things with me so I'll just check it out later.

"So, fearless leader, what's our game plan for making it out of this alive?" I ask as I sit on the end of the couch at Yusuke's feet. He's lying peacefully on his back, jaw slack, chest moving in time with his rhythmic breathing. It's annoying. How can he sleep? I feel so wired that I'll be surprised if I get any sleep tonight. Yusuke makes a quiet snuffling sound and his left foot twitches, and I cross my arms as I lean back against the couch and draw one foot up to rest under my body. "Awesome plan. I feel so much better."

I keep quiet as the team walks back out into the main part of the hotel room, and they all move to sit down on the couch across from the one where Yusuke is sleeping. The second couch is longer than the one I'm on, **L** -shaped instead of just straight, and Kuwabara sits on the short section of the couch so that he's sitting across from me. Kurama sits on the middle of the couch, which leaves the opposite end for Hiei to sit on. Silence covers the room as we all sit and stare at the single coffee table between the two couches, until Kuwabara starts talking.

*"Gotta hand it to 'em. They sure know how to make things pretty." I let my eyes close as I listen to Kuwabara talk, and I gotta give the guy props for breaking the silence. He's a human on an island filled with demons that want to kill him, but he's talking about the hotel room's décor. Yeah, I respect the guy.

A man brings in some coffee for us to drink, which is a bad idea. I'm already full of nervous energy, and I'm sure that drinking coffee will only make it that much harder to fall asleep. Still, when Kurama leans over the table to hand me a cup, I take it with a small smile. I need something to do with my hands, and maybe the warmth from the coffee will be soothing. One cup shouldn't disrupt my sleeping too much, right?

I sip the coffee with my eyes closed as I listen to the others, and I hide my smile behind the cup as I drink. Kuwabara is worried about us being poisoned. That's cute. Kurama and Hiei both point out that the idea itself is ridiculous, because we're all here to fight. Poisoning us wouldn't be nearly as entertaining. Despite that clear logic, Kuwabara still refuses his coffee and drinks something that he packed himself.

*"Why is there only one coffee cup on the table?" Kurama suddenly asks. It's a good question. There should be two. One that Kuwabara isn't drinking and one for Yusuke, and we all turn to look at the sound of a quiet slurping noise.

There's a kid in our room. He's crouched down on top of a table and drinking one of the coffees, and he's definitely a demon. No human kid could move that quickly or quietly. I keep quiet as the little kid explains how he came in and who he is, and the kid is still rambling on when another demon appears in the room. Rinku and Zeru…two of the demons that our team will be facing tomorrow. How nice of them to introduce themselves. Before they leave, the taller demon, Zeru, breaks the remaining coffee cup. Which is just rude.

"I believe we should all get some rest," Kurama says as we all stare at the closed door. He's probably right. We should rest up for tomorrow.

Kuwabara turns around to pick up Yusuke and sling him over his shoulder, and Kurama nods his head in my direction once before turning around. My four team members disappear into their rooms, and I sigh quietly as I walk into my bedroom for the time being. It's just a normal room. Two beds, two little nightstands, and another door that leads into a bathroom. I stick my head into the bathroom and flick on the light, and the first thing I see is two robes hanging on little hooks. I don't have any clean clothes because Takahiro has my bag of clothes, but that doesn't mean I can't have a shower. I can just put one of the robes on.

Decision made, I step fully into the bathroom and don't bother with closing the door. What's the point? I'm the only one staying in this bedroom. My tank top is tossed onto the counter first, then my binder, and I look up into the mirror as I reach for the button on my shorts. My hair is mostly in a ponytail, but a few chunks must have come free while I was quietly stomping through the forest. My shorts slide down my legs, and I move one foot free and kick the shorts into the air with my right foot. I catch the shorts in the air and toss them over onto the counter, and I repeat the process with my panties. Finally naked, I reach up and wrestle with my hair tie. It finally comes free and lets my hair fall, and I roll my shoulders before walking over to the large shower.

The glass door slides without making a sound, and I reach inside to twist on the hot water first. My feet tap against the floor as I wait for the water to heat up, but it doesn't take long. Fancy hotel has hot water, hopefully the shower will stay hot all the way through. I turn on the cold water, just a little, and then step under the spray. The water pressure is so amazing that I almost forget to close the glass door, and my hand blindly reaches out as I tip my face up to feel the water against the top of my head.

Training had been…brutal. Takahiro made me go to school every day, he oversaw everything that I ate so that I'd stay healthy and avoid junk, and he made me train every day. Before and after school, and all day on the weekends. I meditated and focused on just feeling my own energy before we left for school, and I fought against Takahiro in the afternoons. I'm physically stronger than Takahiro, but he's smarter than me. He knows all of my strengths and weaknesses, and he's a brilliant strategist that can think on his feet. So I spent two months constantly training, with no breaks, so I've been sleepwalking through my showers for months. Did showers feel this amazing before I was branded as a criminal?

The shower ends eventually, and I let my head hang a little as I turn off the still hot water. My fingers are wrinkly as I reach for one of the towels hanging next to the shower, and I take a moment to enjoy the softness before bending over and flipping my hair in front of me. It only takes a few seconds for me to wrap the towel around my hair and stand up, and I grab the second towel so I can quickly dry myself off and step out of the shower. Since the bathroom door was left open, there's no steam in the bathroom. It's a little cold, which is refreshing after the heat of the shower. I hang the towel back up because I can hear Takahiro telling me not to be a slob in the back of my head, and I pull one of the hotel robes off of its little hook.

The robe is blue, medium blue, and super fluffy. It's like being wrapped up in a cloud, and I lean down to nuzzle my cheek against the softness over my shoulder as I tie the belt around my waist. The robe hangs down past my knees, so I'm covered decently. Since I'm covered decently, there's no reason why I can't go into the kitchen to look for a small snack. I know Takahiro had my best interests at heart, but a little bit of sugar isn't going to turn me into some kind of D-Class punk. Who knows? Maybe I'll fight even harder if I know that there's junk food for me to eat!

"Steve walks warily down the street. With the brim pulled way down low," I sing quietly under my breath as I walk through the empty hotel room towards the kitchen. "Ain't no sound but the sound of his feet. Machine guns ready to go."

The beat is echoing in my head as I start to look through the small cabinets in the kitchen, and my eyes light up as I see a box of hot chocolate. It's not junk food, but it's close enough.

"Are you ready? Hey! Are you ready for this? Are you hanging on the edge of your seat?" I sing as I grab the box and shimmy in a circle.

There's mugs next to the sink, and my hips sway as I fill the cup with water. Once it's mostly filled, I turn around with my back to the rest of the room and pop the mug into the microwave.

"Out of the doorway, the bullets rip! To the sound of the beat!" I'm still singing quietly, but it's a little louder than when I first started. Which is okay, because the kitchen is on the opposite side of the hotel room from the bedrooms.

Fingers punch in a few numbers on the microwave, and I start dancing a little more freely now that I'm not holding a mug full of water. Hips swaying, arms held up in the air, head tilted back so I can sing up at the ceiling.

"Another one bites the dust." Hips swaying. "Another one bites the dust." Arms stretching above my head. "And another one gone! And another one gone!" Eyes closing as my head falls back. "Another one bites the dust!" Fists punching the air, one-two-one-two. "Hey, I'm gonna get you too!" Head whipping to the side and loosening the towel around my hair. "Another one bites the dust!"

As I yell the last line, possibly a little too loudly, I jump in a semi-circle with my arms held high above my head. My eyes open as the microwave dings behind me, and my breath freezes as red eyes meet mine. Oops. It looks like I might have woken Hiei up. Our eyes stay locked as the towel around my hair finishes unwinding and falls to the floor, and Hiei's upper lip curls. I expect to hear a snarl, but he's totally silent. It's creepy. I am officially creeped out.

"Hot chocolate?" I ask him. Those bright red eyes narrow, and it suddenly feels like the demon is trying to decide if he should kill me. There's a seriously strong murder vibe coming off of him.

"Koenma saddled us with a child. You'll be useless," Hiei finally says and just continues to glare at me. He doesn't turn around to go back to his room or walk farther into the kitchen, and I prop my fists on my hips as I look back at him. Takahiro would be pissed at that comment, but I'm not. Mildly annoyed, maybe, but not pissed.

"I'm young, yeah, but I'm not useless. You saw me on that boat. Now do you want some hot chocolate or not?" More glaring. Someone needs to give this guy lessons on conversation etiquette. "Whatever. I'll make you a mug anyway. If you don't want it, don't drink it."

"Those demons were weak." Hiei doesn't speak until after I've filled a second mug with water, so maybe he does want the hot chocolate. I turn my back to him as I open the microwave, and I switch out the mugs. The microwave starts again, and I keep my back to Hiei as I grab a packet of hot chocolate mix from the box and rip it open.

"They were. It was almost disappointing, but I'm not weak. I know that you know that, because I haven't bothered to hide my energy level," I say as I mix in the hot chocolate powder with a spoon. Hey! This hot chocolate has little marshmallows! Hiei makes a quiet grunting sound behind me, which I translate from Asshole Speak to Normal Speak as, _"Yes, Corey, I can tell that your power level is quite impressive for your age and should be an asset to the team."_

"I still don't understand why he chose a halfbreed." There's no inflection on the last word, but I can tell that Hiei is trying to get a rise out of me. Or maybe he's testing me? This would be so much simpler if people just spoke plainly.

"I think it makes perfect sense." The microwave dinging again interrupts me, and Hiei stays silent as I take out the second mug and start to mix the hot chocolate in. Once both drinks are perfectly stirred, I grab the handles and turn back around to face Hiei. "Your team already had two demons and two humans, so a halfbreed makes everything equal. It's a good balance."

"Hn." Hiei keeps his eyes on mine as I extend my left hand, and he doesn't even blink as he grabs the hot mug with his hand. He's a fire demon, I remember Botan telling me that, so the extremely hot mug must not faze him. Seeing him hold the mug and not the handle is unnerving though. Who holds a mug like that?

"Call me a halfbreed all you want, I really don't care, because that's what I am. It's gonna take more than a simple fact to rattle me, got that?" I take a sip of my hot chocolate as a chance to let that sink in for the demon, and Hiei somehow manages to keep eye contact as he raises the mug to his lips. His eyes widen at the taste, and I can't hold my tough-girl expression. My face cracks in a smile as Hiei takes a longer sip, because I'm guessing this is his first time ever drinking hot chocolate.

"Halfbreeds are bad luck," Hiei says once his mug has been completely drained. He extends his arm towards me, fully expecting me to take the mug after he called my species bad luck, and I roll my eyes before grabbing the mug. I raise my own mug one last time and drain it, and I smack my lips as I walk back over to the sink.

"If you're superstitious, sure. Gotta tell ya though, you must be bad luck too. You were the one that got personally invited to this shit-show. I just got drafted." I rinse the mugs as I talk, and I glance up at Hiei as I shut the water off.

"Hn. Perhaps you're not a complete idiot." That almost sounds like a compliment! It probably is a compliment in Asshole Speak.

"That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard," I say and grin. Hiei makes a quiet _tch_ noise and turns on his heel, and I shake my head a little at the abrupt departure. And I thought we'd been having fun. "Nighty night, sweetums!"

"Try to keep quiet this time, halfbreed," Hiei says before disappearing into his room.

My toes curl around the towel on the floor, and I look at the two empty mugs sitting in the sink as I lift my leg and grab the towel pinched between my toes. That was…odd. Does that count as team bonding? I'll have to ask Botan, because she knows the team better than I do. I drape the towel over my shoulder and walk back to my room, and I only hang the towel up in the bathroom instead of just tossing it inside because I don't want to hear my subconscious nagging me in Takahiro's voice. After the towel is put away and my dirty clothes are left neatly folded on the bathroom counter, I walk back out into the bedroom.

Time to try and sleep.

 **Jezebel**

I stop with my hand on the door handle, and I take in a slow breath as I look at the glass door. It's dark outside, it's late, so I can clearly see my reflection in the door. My skin looks even paler than usual, and my fingers tap against the handle as I straighten my shoulders. The light above the door is showing the pink tint in my blonde hair, and I reach up with my free hand to push my glasses a little higher up my nose. My eyes lock with the distorted aquamarine color reflected behind the lenses of my glasses as I give myself an internal pep talk.

"I can do this," I whisper and then open the door.

The hotel lobby is empty as I walk inside, and my shoes squeak against the marble floor. I reach up to grab the strap of my bag over my shoulder as I walk towards the counter at the far left of the room, and a woman smiles pleasantly at me as I get closer. She's still wearing that same smile as I stop at the counter and heft my bag up onto the clean surface, and it's a little eerie. Her smile. Especially paired with her empty eyes.

"Can I help you, miss?" the woman asks. I can feel tension coiling between my shoulder blades, but I just raise my chin and look straight at the woman's vapid expression.

"I made a reservation, under Jezebel Harada."

* * *

 **Ending Note:** First things first, disclaimers! Anytime you see a piece of dialogue with an asterisk (*) at the beginning, that line of dialogue comes straight from the anime. I don't own that dialogue. The song that Corey sings while making her hot chocolate is _Another One Bites The Dust_ by Queen. I don't own that song. Moving on!

This was the first chapter of the Dark Tournament arc! It's more of an introduction than anything, so the next chapter will have the first match. I'm not going to write out every single fight in excruciating detail, so try not to worry. If you're reading this, I'm assuming that you've seen the anime so I'm not going to do that. I'll probably just do a few lines of summary and focus on the _changes_ from the anime. Expect more and more POV switches.

Before I update this story again, I'm going to finish _**Enough**_. That's my Yusuke/Koto story, and I want it to be complete so that I'll only have two active stories instead of three. While you're waiting for an update on this story, you should go read _**Enough**_! Or you can come talk to me about fanfiction and YYH on tumblr at _**tv-writes-ff. tumblr . com**_

One last thing before I reply to reviews, this chapter is dedicated to **SakiHanajima1**! Thank you for all of the support and for listening to me ramble!

 **SakiHanajima1:** It's okay to cry! You can cry with me! I think this chapter makes up for all of the sad and emotional stuff in the last chapter. Yes, Hiro is precious and should be protected at all costs. (Why do I always hurt my characters? Why?) Corey has now officially met the team! Again! Of course, she doesn't know that this is her second time meeting them, but still. I hope you liked how the (second) first meeting went! Thank you for the review!

 **StrawberryHuggles:** I thought about making Corey and Takahiro typical teenagers, with cocky and afraid-of-nothing attitudes like you described, but it didn't feel right with their backgrounds. They both had manifested demon energies at early ages and were taught control at a young age, as well as morals, so they both had to grow up pretty fast. They also just lost their dad, so they know that death is a very real thing that can happen at any time. I loved writing the little déjà vu moments, so I'm glad you noticed them! I might take you up on that "shop talk" conversation because I know nothing about time travel or what I'm doing, and you're writing THE story on time travel. Any tips? Thank you for the review!


	6. I Converse Better With Insults

**Author's Note:** I am so sorry that it's taken me this long to update. First I was trying to finish _**Enough**_ , which I did, and then I got distracted by my other non-anime stories. I haven't forgotten this story though, and I'm going to do my best to update a little more often. Huge THANK YOU to everyone who has followed and favorited, despite seeing how long it was taking me to update, and an even bigger **THANK YOU** to my reviewers! This chapter is for all of you!

 **Quick Note:** If a line of dialogue starts with an asterisk (*), that line comes directly from the English Dub of the anime.

 **Post Date:** 24 January 2018

 **Word Count:** 8380

* * *

 **Chapter Six  
** **I Converse Better With Insults**

 **Dark Tournament: Day 2  
** **[Episodes 28-32]**

 **1990 December 27**

 **Corey**

"This is such bullshit! Botan!" I yell up at the ceiling. Seconds later, there's a loud knock on my bedroom door. It's about time! I scramble away from my messy bed and over to bedroom door, and I hurriedly push my frazzled bedhead off of my face. Instead of seeing Botan, however, I am looking up at Kuwabara. Way up. I know I'm short, but he really is abnormally tall.

"You're not even dressed yet!" We're supposed to be heading down for our match, soon, but I still haven't heard from Botan. Which means I have no idea where Takahiro is, and he's the one with all of my clothes and my weapons. So all I've got on is my fluffy blue robe.

"My clothes haven't been delivered yet. You think I can fight in this?" Kuwabara looks down at what I'm wearing, and I try not to smile when his cheeks are dusted in a light pink. The robe goes down past my knees so it's not even showing anything indecent, but Kuwabara seems like an actual gentleman.

"What about what you were wearing yesterday?" he asks as his eyes meet mine again. The thought of putting on my dirty clothes makes my nose wrinkle, and I cross my arms under my chest as I look up at the very tall human.

"They're dirty and disgusting, from training and walking around in the woods yesterday. I'm not putting those back on. Nuh-uh. No way," I say and shake my head for a little extra emphasis. Kuwabara reaches up to rub the back of his neck, and I can tell he's trying to think of a solution. Which is a good thing considering my only solution right now is to go fight demons in a robe. Maybe it will confuse or distract my opponent enough for me to get the upper hand?

"My clothes would be too big on ya. Hiei's closer to your size, but I don't think he's the sharing type. I can bring ya some of Urameshi's clothes. They'll be big on ya, but they should work," Kuwabara shrugs.

"Perfect! You don't think he'll mind?" Kuwabara has already turned around and started walking off, so he answers while looking over his shoulder.

"Nah, he's still knocked out anyway." Knocked out? Our supposed leader is still unconscious? He must have gone through some hellacious training if he's still recovering. I just hope he decides to wake up sometime soon. Like, before we all die.

It doesn't take Kuwabara long to find some clothes, and I smile in thanks after taking the small bundle of clothes. I close the bedroom door behind me and then drop the clothes onto my messy bed, and the clothes are simple enough. Loose blue pants, training pants and not jeans thankfully. A plain white tee shirt. The lack of underwear makes sense, because I'm not wearing some dude's underwear. That's where I'm drawing the line. I can't put my old panties on though, that's just a little too gross for me, but I can put the binder back on. I hang the robe back up in the bathroom and then grab my binder off of the counter, and I pull it on while walking back out into the main part of the bedroom. The dark blue pants go on next, and it's a good thing there's a black belt with them because they're definitely too big around my waist. I slip the white shirt on last, ignore the way it hangs down to my thighs, and then bend over to roll up the bottom of the pants so that I don't trip. Looks like I'm going barefoot today.

"Alright, team! Let's go kick some ass!" I yell as I walk out of the bedroom. Hiei is turned away from me and looking out of a window so I can't see his facial expression, but Kurama smiles politely in my direction. Kuwabara walks out of his room next, with Yusuke slung over one shoulder, and we start to leave the hotel room.

So we've got an angry antisocial midget, an unnaturally attractive demon, a freakishly tall human, a leader who is pretty much comatose, and a halfbreed that's wearing clothes at least two sizes too big. If we win this tournament, it'll be a freakin' miracle.

 **Takahiro**

The demons around me are yelling about the traitors that make up Team Urameshi, Corey's team, but I keep quiet. I promised Corey that I would keep my head down and stay out of trouble, which isn't difficult for me. Corey is the one that's impulsive and speaks without thinking. She also acts without thinking, which is how we got into this situation in the first place. Not that I blame her. My sister saved a girl's life, and she shouldn't be punished for it. Yet here we are. I shift forward to sit on the edge of my seat as the teams join up in the center of the ring, and my eyes narrow as I take in Corey's appearance.

" _I still have her clothes,"_ I remember as I take in the baggy clothes. She must have borrowed something to wear from one of her teammates, but the clothes make her look so small. I know my sister is strong, stronger than all of the demons I'm currently sitting around, but she looks almost fragile in the oversized clothes.

While I'm looking at my sister, a ring of fire surrounds Team Urameshi before rushing towards the stands. Corey and her teammates are untouched, one of them looks like he's unconscious, but a large portion of the audience has been set on fire. It looks like no one is really safe at this tournament. I'll have to keep my guard up. The first match is decided, and it's a small demon kid and a large human. Botan told us about Corey's teammates, and I'm sure that the tall human is Kazuma Kuwabara. Which means that the other human, Yusuke Urameshi, is the one taking a nap. This is Corey's team? These are the people she'll have to depend on to stay alive? The human isn't even attacking!

The fight is interesting and not quite as bloody as I thought it would be, but I can't help my wince when it looks like the human's neck has been broken. He seems fine, he has to be stronger than the average human to have been chosen for this tournament, but that still had to have hurt. The weapons come out after that, sword against yo-yo, and I cross my arms as I lean back in my seat. The human is being thrown side-to-side, all over the place really, and it's hard to watch. I'm not a stranger to fighting, but I don't enjoy watching the fights. The only positive is that it's not Corey in the ring.

*"YUSUKE!" The loud yell catches my attention, and I look away from the sky and down a few rows. There's a girl standing up, and I take in a deep breath. Weaved in between the many different scents coming from all of the demons is the distinct smell of a human, so that really is a human girl in the stands. She's sitting next to someone with blue hair, before running off, so that has to be Botan. I've been looking for her since yesterday.

The human girl, another human woman, and Botan move down to the wall lining the bottom of the stands. I quickly get to my feet and move around the demons next to me to reach the stairs, and I keep my eyes on the sky as I quickly walk down the stairs. Botan yells something right before I reach them, and I clear my throat after she's done yelling. She turns around after making a quiet _eep_ sound, and I raise a brow as our eyes meet. She reaches one hand up to rub at the back of her neck as she adopts a sheepish expression, because she dropped me off in my room yesterday morning and then promised to be right back.

"Takahiro! How nice to see you!"

"He's not human, is he?" the woman standing behind her asks. She seems older than the first girl who yelled, maybe in her early twenties, and the other girl only glances at me before looking back at the ring. Kuwabara is still alive.

"No, he's not. Takahiro is Corey's brother, the fifth team member. Takahiro, this is Shizuru and Keiko. Shizuru is Kuwabara's sister, and Keiko is Yusuke's girlfriend." Botan finishes the explanation with a teasing smile, and the girl that looks to be my age flushes a little but doesn't say anything.

The fight finally comes to an end, with Kuwabara losing but still alive, and the three girls sigh at the loss. They should be celebrating. It's rare for fighters to actually survive. The next fighter from the other team steps into the ring, and the fox demon goes into the ring next. Botan said his name was Kurama and that he was older than he looks, so maybe this fight will be better than the last one. Before anyone else can say anything, Botan hops over the wall and goes to join the team. Maybe she can keep them focused. _Maybe_. She at least pulls the team leader away from the ring so he won't get accidentally harmed.

"Yo! Hiro! Where the hell have ya been?!" I smile politely at the two human girls and then walk over to where Corey is standing next to the wall, and I lean my elbows against the wall so that I can look down at her.

"In my room, since yesterday morning," I say and look down at where Botan is sitting next to an unconscious Yusuke.

"Why didn't you come find me then? Look at me! I look ridiculous!" Corey yells and waves a hand over her torso. She does look like a child playing dress-up.

"Botan disappeared, and the front desk said that team members' rooms were confidential," I answer and look at Botan again.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Corey! Keiko kind of forced the truth out of me about Yusuke's whereabouts, and I had to bring Keiko and Shizuru with me," Botan quickly rushes out.

"Keiko is Yusuke's girlfriend, and Shizuru is Kuwabara's sister," I explain to Corey.

"Ah, gotcha. So, Botan, are there any rules against me killing Kurama's opponent? Because that's one dirty trick." Corey crosses her arms after the statement and leans back against the wall, and she's right about the demon using dirty tactics. What kind of fighter threatens an innocent? Only a coward would do something like that. It seems as if no one needs to step in and help Kurama though.

"I think Kurama has everything under control," I say as we continue to watch the fight. Corey and I both have better hearing than an average human, so we can both hear Kurama's conversation with his opponent clearly.

 _*"You believe in mercy, don't you?"_

 _*"No."_

Kurama's opponent falls to the ground as a bush, and Botan has rejoined the others while Corey has stayed next to the wall and cheers. Yusuke is still unconscious but mumbling in his sleep, and Corey is talking about how pretty the giant death plant is. One thing is for sure, Kurama isn't the kind of demon to cross. He looks normal and pleasant enough, but it's clear that he's smart and powerful. Of course, Corey is only concentrating on the aesthetics of the demon's kill. She keeps saying the other demon deserved it for threatening Kurama's mother.

"Are you going to fight now?" I ask Corey. She stops waving her arms around and talking about pretty colors to look up at me, and her blue eyes are wide as she smiles.

"Absolutely not. For one, I already fought on the boat. For two, all my opponent would have to do is cut this belt off and I'd lose."

"You fought on the boat?" While the two teams are deciding who is going to fight next, Corey quickly explains about the big fight on the boat that carried her and the team to the island. A preliminary fight, which ended in every demon on the boat being killed. I'm not even surprised.

"Hey, Hiei's in the ring! Kick his ass, Hiei!" Corey yells and thrusts a fist in the air. Immediately after yelling, fire erupts from the ring and starts incinerating the audience again. I hear Corey sigh as she jumps up onto the wall and quickly creates a barrier, which protects this section of the stands. It means that the fire doesn't touch me or Botan and Yusuke below me on the ground, and I look over my shoulder to see that Keiko and Shizuru are sitting in the stands behind me. So Corey is using her barrier to keep everyone safe.

"I believe your friend has been set on fire," I say and point at the ring. Since Corey is standing on the wall now, she has to look down at me before looking out at the ring again.

"Can you set a fire demon on fire?" The question has barely left Corey's mouth before Hiei is back on his feet, which is an answer in and of itself. Corey and I are both silent as we watch Hiei's next attack, and I can feel every muscle in my body tensing. Dragon of the Darkness Flame? I read about it in one of Father's books, and it's one of the deadliest attacks that I've ever read about. Both for the opponent and for the wielder. "Get 'im, Hiei!"

"Your team members are insane," I whisper as the Dragon is released. When it's all said and done, the only thing left of Hiei's opponent is an outline on the wall.

"Insane and badass. Way to go, hot stuff!" Hiei stops at the edge of the ring at the sound of Corey's echoing yell, and I can hear my sister laughing as the fire demon glares in her direction. Then Hiei is talking to Kuwabara and exiting the ring, but I can tell by his posture that he's hurting. I'm surprised he even still has his arm after that attack.

"Look, Corey, a drunkard is getting in the ring. Surely you can take him on," I say and smile. Corey drops down so that she's sitting cross-legged on top of the wall, which makes us nearly eye-level, and she shakes her head so hard that her long ponytail whips behind her.

"Drunk or not, there's something about that guy. He just killed two teammates, and I didn't feel even a little bit of energy."

"Hey, Corey! It's your turn!" Kuwabara suddenly yells. Corey's grinning and shaking her head again, and Kuwabara starts yelling at Yusuke. Except the team leader is not leaning up against the wall anymore.

"I wanna see what our leader can do," Corey says. The crowd is starting to chant _Kill-Yusuke_ , and Corey just rolls her eyes. "Buncha idiots! Could you be any less original?!"

"Don't antagonize the crowd," I say and tap her knee. She crosses her arms and huffs, but she doesn't yell at the crowd anymore so that's progress at least.

"I'm putting my money on Yusuke. What about you?" Corey asks as the drunk rambles on.

"Rooting against your team would be counterproductive, I suppose." I smile when Corey looks down at me, and she laughs as she props her elbow on my shoulder. We both settle in to watch the fight, to see what the leader of Corey's team can really do, and something tells me that it's going to be a very interesting match.

 **Jezebel**

"He's not much of a thinker, is he?" I ask quietly as I sit down next to the small hooded figure. Faded honey eyes glance over at me, and I can hear the quiet sniff that she makes.

"He might surprise you." Her voice is quiet, but the sharp tone is exactly the way I remember it. It hasn't even been a whole year since the last time I saw her so I don't know why I expected her to be different, but it's almost a relief to hear her familiar voice. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to see what your student could do," I answer honestly. I warred with myself for months about this decision. Even when reserving a room, I was still debating on whether or not to actually come. In the end, curiosity won.

"And?" Those eyes are watching me again, and I feel like a student myself again as she looks directly into my eyes.

"He's powerful, his Spirit Gun is impressive, but he agreed to a Knife-Edge Death Match. So he's strong but not very smart." I've watched all of the fights, analyzed each of the fighter's fighting styles, and I can tell that Yusuke Urameshi is the type to act without really thinking things through. This is who she chose over me? This is her chosen student?

"He may be a dimwit, but there's more to him than meets the eye." My fingers tap against my knees as I continue to watch the two opponents in the ring trade punch after punch, and they look like they're evenly matched.

"Quit bein' such a good guy and punch 'im in the balls!" The yell comes from the girl sitting on the wall that runs along the stadium, and she's the fifth fighter of Team Urameshi. She's also the only one who hasn't fought today. There's a boy standing next to her, a demon, and it looks like he's lecturing her.

"This kind of fighting is barbaric," I whisper as the fight continues.

"This whole tournament is barbaric." When I glance over, I realize that we are sitting exactly the same way. Knees and feet pressed tight together, arms stuffed into our sleeves, and our eyes trained on the fight but still scanning the crowd in our peripherals.

"When I heard, I thought it would be you down there." My eyes flick over towards the girl sitting on the wall, the fifth fighter, before looking back at the center of the ring.

"So did I." She's always been honest, and it looks like that hasn't changed either. She normally throws in a riddle though.

The fight continues as the crowd rages, screaming praise for Chu and death threats at Yusuke, and the sound is almost deafening. I've never liked being around large crowds, the noise makes me feel like I'm drowning, but I can't leave now. I came here to see the student in action, and I'm not leaving until I know how this tournament ends. Not just this match. I need to know how it _ends_. Maybe then I'll be able to understand why she chose him. Maybe then I'll know what makes him so different. What makes him better.

*"The winner of this match, and the winner of the battle, is Team Urameshi! Led by Yusuke Urameshi!" the announcer calls after Chu has been on the ground for a ten count.

"What do you think?" I look away from the ring, where Yusuke is talking to Chu, and over into faded honey eyes.

"I think there's more to him than meets the eye," I say and smile.

"Hmph," she says and gets to her feet. She walks past me to reach the stairs, but she pauses before starting up them. "You shouldn't be here, Jezebel."

"Neither should you, Grandmother." Another huff is her reply, and Yusuke starts yelling at the crowd before either of us can say anything else. The entire stadium goes silent, and my grandmother slips away while I'm still looking down at Yusuke Urameshi.

" _I'll figure you out, Urameshi. Before this thing is over."_ I slip away before the crowd can start getting rowdy again. I'm going back to my room to get rid of this headache and then I'm going to go over everything I've learned today.

 **Corey**

"That was amazing! Did ya see that?!" I yell and shake Takahiro's arm a little. We're walking back towards the hotel, so that I can finally get my clothes and weapons, but I'm not sure where the rest of my team is. Oh well. It's not like they can leave the island, so I'm sure I'll run into them sometime soon.

"I also heard the loud boos from the crowd at the end. Your team leader certainly has a way with words," Takahiro says and looks over at me with a small smile. Yeah, listening to Yusuke yell at the crowd after beating Chu had been pretty awesome. (Of course, I didn't miss Yusuke flipping off a giant-looking dude at the end. Botan told me and Takahiro about why the rest of the team is fighting in the Tournament, so I'm sure that the big guy was Toguro. I'm really not looking forward to the fight with his team, because that guy had been scary looking.)

"Yo, Kurama! Hiei!" I yell as I spot long red hair and spiky black hair. Kurama stops walking instantly, but Hiei continues on. It doesn't matter, because it doesn't take long for me and Takahiro to reach where Kurama is patiently waiting. Then a moment later the three of us are walking next to Hiei. "Teammates, this is my brother, Takahiro. Hiro, meet Kurama and Hiei."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Takahiro," Kurama says quietly. He's looking at us both curiously, so I know that he can tell that we're not blood-related. I'm a half demon, lightning demon at that, and Takahiro is a full-blooded dog demon. Hiei doesn't say anything, just grunts and keeps walking.

"Adopted brother, but we've known each other since we were five," I explain to Kurama. A little bit of understanding comes into his (unfairly attractive) eyes, and I hear Hiei snort quietly.

"Perhaps Koenma should have had the real demon fight instead," Hiei says without looking over at us. Takahiro's eyes are narrowed in a glare, but that's just because he doesn't understand that Hiei is kind of an asshole.

"Nah, Takahiro's an angel. I'm the criminal, so I get to fight in the death matches." I lightly nudge Takahiro's ribs with my elbow, and the tension in his shoulders slowly eases. He just needs to learn how to speak Hiei's language, that's all.

"You were useless today," Hiei says and finally glances over at where I'm walking. The skin around his bright red eyes looks tight, like he's in pain but trying not to show it, and I make sure that my eyes don't look down at his blackened arm.

"You guys totally had it handled, and I fought on the boat. I'll fight next time," I shrug. Hiei just makes another sound and doesn't say anything else, and it looks like Kurama is smiling just the tiniest bit.

"Are you staying with Corey in her room?" Kurama asks. I'm walking between the fox and Takahiro, and Kurama is looking over the top of my head at Takahiro.

"No, Koenma let me have my own room. I think it's best if we keep separate rooms for now," Takahiro answers quietly. We talked about room assignments, in depth, in the weeks leading up to the Tournament. In the end, we decided to stay in separate rooms. Takahiro was worried about stressing me out with his own anxieties, and he thinks that I should bond with my team or something like that. I think it's all ridiculous, but it's whatever Hiro wants.

"You're gonna bring my clothes and weapons though, right? Because I don't think I can pull this look off for much longer," I say and look down at the baggy clothes I'm still wearing.

"Yes, Corey. I can't let you be seen fighting like that," Takahiro sighs. My reply is cut short as we walk into the hotel, and this place kind of gives me the creeps. There's humans staying here that want to watch a bunch of demons fight to the death for a good laugh, and there's demons all over the place that want to kill us. It's all very unsettling.

Thankfully, it's just the four of us in the elevator. We stop at my floor first, and I tell Takahiro our room number before stepping off. I stay in the hallway and watch as the doors close, and Takahiro smiles a little before the doors close completely. I let out a quiet sigh once he's gone and turn around, and I make a quick sound as I jump back a little. (It wasn't like a scream or anything, okay? I was just a little surprised.) Kurama is standing in front of me, and he smiles a little like he's trying to calm a frightened animal.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he says quietly. Definitely like he's trying not to spook a frightened animal. I don't know if I should be insulted or thankful. I lean to the side to look around him, but Hiei is nowhere in sight.

"I'm good. Is everything okay?" I ask. I can't think of a reason why Kurama would wait for me, we're teammates but not friends, and he turns around so that we can start walking towards our room. Our steps are slow, and I keep glancing at him from the corner of my eye.

"I heard your explanation to Kuwabara, about how you came to be on our team. It seems a little harsh," Kurama finally says.

"The punishment doesn't fit the crime, you mean?" Kurama inclines his head in my direction but doesn't say anything, and I blow out a small sigh. "Apparently, I was already on Spirit World's radar. I've killed demons before, but I was usually a bit more discreet about it. Plus, I didn't just use my spirit energy in the middle of a city. I used my demon energy."

"Your brother didn't fight with you?" It's phrased as a question, but I've got this feeling that Kurama already knows the answer.

"No, he was looking after the girl that the demon had been chasing." Takahiro is a skilled fighter, he's strong, but…Takahiro doesn't really like fighting.

"You're also stronger than he is." It doesn't sound like Kurama is insulting my brother, so I squash the brief flash of anger rising in my gut.

"It's the combined spirit energy and demonic power. It makes me a little tougher than most." I'm not sure if that's true for other halfbreeds, because there's not very many of us.

"I think you're a true asset to our team, Corey. Just be careful," Kurama says as he opens our hotel door. I follow him inside the room and look at how his hair barely even moves as he walks.

"Careful's my middle name," I quip as I fall back to sit on the couch. Hiei is nowhere in sight, so I'm guessing he's in his room. Kuwabara and Yusuke aren't in the room, so who knows where they are? Kurama gives me one last indulgent smile before walking over to the bedroom he's sharing with Hiei, and I relax back against the couch as I wait for Takahiro.

" _Today was…not what I was expecting,"_ I think as I look up at the ceiling. The fights had been brutal, for sure, but no one on my team died. Not even all the demons on the other team died, which is rare in this tournament. Hell, I didn't even have to fight. Which I might feel a touch guilty about, but it's not like I'm itching to get into the ring for a death match. That doesn't make me a coward either. It just means that I'm not a complete idiot foaming at the mouth for a fight. I like to believe that I'm a little bit smarter than that. More practical, maybe.

My thoughts are cut off as the hotel room door opens, and I twist around to look over the back of the couch. Kuwabara and Yusuke spill into the room, yelling about something, but they both freeze when they notice me looking at them. Kuwabara even reaches up to rub at the back of his neck, and Yusuke recovers first and walks farther into the room. Kuwabara mumbles something before walking off and disappearing into his bedroom, and I twist back around as Yusuke moves to sit down on the couch across from me.

"Huh, I'm not used to seeing you conscious," I say as he just continues to look at me. He's still barefoot and shirtless, with cuts and bruises showing on his bare skin, but he looks almost relaxed.

"Kuwabara said he gave you my clothes." His eyes move over what I'm wearing, the rolled-up blue pants and baggy white tee shirt, and I grin as his eyes meet mine.

"My brother has my bag of clothes, and I didn't know where he was. Don't worry though, I found him and he's bringing my clothes down. So you can totally have these back after I have my own clothes. They're not really my style anyway," I ramble out. Brown eyes just continue to look curiously at me, and some black hair falls into his eyes as his head tilts just a little.

"You hatin' on my clothes?" He's wearing a tough-guy look, and I'm still grinning.

"Nah, I just prefer things in my own size. They're really soft though, I wasn't expecting that. You don't care that I went commando, right?" The hardened look on his face melts as his eyes widen and his jaw drops, and my head falls back as I start laughing at his shocked expression.

"You can just keep those," he says while I'm still laughing like a lunatic. I have to reach up to wipe the tears from the corner of my eyes, and Yusuke's smiling just a little when I look across at him.

"Such a good team leader. Thanks for the new set of PJs." Yusuke's nose wrinkles a little at that, and I just barely manage to stifle another laughing fit. Man, I am seriously starting to lose it. Yusuke shifts a little and crosses his arms, and I'm thinking of telling him that he needs to go shower all the blood off when he speaks up.

"Kuwabara also told me about the fight on the boat. You took out all those demons?" I can feel blood trying to rush into my cheeks, and I pull my legs up onto the couch so that I can cross them.

"Just one fighter from each team, and I helped kill a few more when the rest attacked us. It was no big deal though. They were all pretty weak," I say and shrug.

"And then you carried me?" This time my eyes widen a little in shock, because why did Kuwabara have to share that little bit of information?

"Well, someone had to do it. You were really out of it, and I'm stronger than I look." He doesn't seem upset about being carried around by a girl though, which is a relief. Most stuff doesn't really bother me, but I hate being underestimated because of my gender.

"Uh, thanks then, I guess."

"That's the worst thank-you I've ever heard." I'm smiling though to let the team leader know that I'm not serious, because he didn't even have to thank me. It's not like lugging him around was that big of a deal.

"Bet I can make a worse one," Yusuke says with a grin of his own. Before I can challenge him to test that statement, there's a quiet knock at the door.

"Aha! That would be my clothes," I say and jump up. I jog over to the door and quickly open it up, and Takahiro holds out a large duffel bag and my staff. I take both with a grin and turn around, and I hear the door close as Takahiro follows me inside. I look up to see that Yusuke is still sitting in the same spot, but he's looking past me at Takahiro.

"Brother, Takahiro. Team leader, Yusuke," I say in way of introduction. I'm mostly too busy looking at my staff to give a proper introduction, because it feels good to be holding my preferred weapon again.

As far as staffs go, it's pretty simple. Nothing fancy or even ornate. It's just plain silver, five feet in length so it's just a little taller than I am, with runes carved down it. The runes just help the metal combine with my dual energies, and it helps me conduct my lightning. Dad gave it to me for my tenth birthday, and I started training almost immediately. I love my daggers and I can fight just fine with my fists, but I've always loved my staff.

"What the hell is that thing?" Yusuke asks. I look away from the staff and at where he's still sitting, and I place one end of the staff on the floor as I grip the middle of it.

"It's my staff. I'm pretty good with it, and it helps me control my lightning." Yusuke makes an _oh_ face, like he's just remembering what kind of demon that I am, so I'm guessing that Kuwabara filled him in on that too.

"Urameshi! Shower's free!" Kuwabara calls out as he walks back out into the main part of the hotel room. Yusuke sighs and then pushes himself to his feet, and my eyes quickly scan over his torso. He could definitely use a shower, but I'm not sure if he should nap. The last time he did, he slept for a little too long.

"Later, Corey. See ya around, Takahiro," Yusuke says and raises a hand over his shoulder. He passes Kuwabara and then closes their bedroom door, and Kuwabara looks at where Takahiro and I are still standing.

"This your brother?" Kuwabara asks. I nod, and I'm saved from having to make another introduction as Kuwabara starts talking again. "My sis wants me to eat dinner with her downstairs. You two wanna come?"

"We wouldn't want to impose," Takahiro answers immediately. He's always so polite, which is a little unfair because I feel like I'm starving. Dinner would be amazing right about now.

"You wouldn't be imposing! I just don't want to be alone with my big sis," Kuwabara says with a small laugh.

"Come on, Hiro. My teammate is asking for help. I can't turn him down," I say and grin up at Takahiro. When he sighs quietly, I know that I've won.

"I guess sharing a dinner with your teammate and his sister will be alright." Kuwabara does a fist-pump, and I let out a quiet cheer before starting to hurry across the room.

"I'll just put these up and then we can head down!" I call out. Kuwabara's alright, so I'm sure his sister can't be that bad. Takahiro will be there too, and no one can hate Takahiro. Yeah, this will be fine.

 **.xXx.**

The dinner goes even smoother than I'd been expecting. Shizuru Kuwabara is a very blunt person who doesn't really hold back, so I like her pretty much instantly. I've always preferred being around people that don't hide behind fake kind words, and Shizuru is a straight-up kind of person. It's also clear that she loves her little brother, even when she puts him in a headlock and gives him tips on how to do better the next time he fights. It makes me laugh and Takahiro smile a little, and all of us completely ignore the shocked looks we receive from the other people eating dinner in the hotel restaurant.

"So, Hiro, you gonna sit with us during the matches?" Shizuru asks after all the food is gone. I'm still chugging down some water, and Kuwabara looks back and forth between our siblings.

"I'd like that," Takahiro says with a small smile. That's a bit of a relief. Shizuru might be a human, but I still feel a little better about Takahiro not sitting in that crowd alone. Then Takahiro is looking over at me with a concerned look in his eye. "I think it's time you got some rest though."

"What? Why? We're not fighting tomorrow," I point out. The other first matches are being held tomorrow, so we get a day off.

"Because we are training tomorrow." My loud groan causes both Kuwabaras to laugh, until Shizuru cuts her eyes over at Kuwabara. He stops laughing immediately and gulps, and I wait to see if either of them is going to say anything.

"What are you laughing at? You better train some more tomorrow too." Shizuru isn't making a suggestion, and Kuwabara ducks his head.

"You got it, sis," he mumbles. His eyes meet mine as his head raises a little, and I roll my eyes while mouthing _siblings_. It makes Kuwabara grin, and then Takahiro and Shizuru stand up at the same time. Our meal is free since we're fighters, so Kuwabara and I follow after our siblings at a slower pace.

The ride up to our floor is quiet, but it's not uncomfortable or anything. Takahiro and Shizuru tell both of us goodnight as we step off the elevator, and Kuwabara and I both wave as the doors close. Then we turn around at the same time and start shuffling down the hallway towards our room. I like Kuwabara. He's tough as hell for a human, and he's been a really nice guy. I've even forgiven him for constantly calling me Shorty yesterday. The hotel room is dark when we walk inside and I can't see anyone sitting around, so it looks like everyone is in their rooms.

"Night, Kuwabara," I say around a yawn as I start towards my room.

"Night, Corey." Yeah, Kuwabara's pretty cool.

My staff is propped up against the wall next to my bed, and my duffel bag is sitting on my messy bed. I quickly unzip it and root inside for a pair of sleeping shorts, and I pull out a pair of blue shorts that I usually sleep in. It only takes a few seconds for me to undo the belt and let the loose pants fall to the floor, and I brace my hands against the bed as I kick the pants off. A part of me wants to leave the pants on the floor, but I don't want to completely trash my room. So I pick them up and carefully fold them, and I shove them into the bottom corner of the duffel before pulling out a pair of panties. I feel like I'm already half asleep as I pull my panties up, then my shorts, and I drop my duffel on the floor next to the bed before collapsing onto the bed. It's time to catch a little shut-eye.

 **.xXx.**

 _Smoke is thick in the air, choking, curling inside of my lungs. The ground is shaking under my feet, a continuous roar is echoing in the air, but I can't stop. My hands are raised in front of me, a dagger clenched in each fist, and I strike out against the demons swarming me. No, the demons swarming us. There's a line of heat at my back, a scorching kind of heat, but it's also comforting. I trust the person at my back with my life, and our shoulders press together as we release our energy simultaneously. Fire and lightning move through the swarm of demons, causing anguished screams to drown out that awful roaring sound, and my arms shake as I lean more of my weight against the demon at my back._

The room is pitch black when my eyes fly open, and I can hear my own harsh breathing in my ears as I look around the dark room. The sheet is tangled around my knees, my hair is slicked down against my cheeks and neck, and I'm covered in sweat. It's not even hot in the room, but I'm nearly soaked in a cold sweat. I'm so busy freaking out about whatever-the-hell-that-was that it takes me a minute to feel eyes on me, and my whole body tenses as I turn my head to the side.

"Your observational skills are abysmal." I can see glittering red in the darkness, and that was definitely Hiei's everything-I-say-is-an-insult tone.

"And you need a lesson in how not to invade other people's privacy," I huff. The fire demon is sitting on the other bed in the room, I can see that much, but it's too dark for me to really see his expression. My eyes haven't adjusted to the darkness yet, which is very frustrating because I'm pretty sure that Hiei can see me just fine.

"Why did you wake up with that idiotic look on your face?" Well, that confirms my theory on whether or not Hiei can see me. And what does he mean idiotic look? I woke up covered in a cold sweat after one really weird dream…okay, yeah, I might have had an idiotic look on my face.

"What? You too cool to have weird dreams that wake you up in the middle of the night?" There's a different kind of silence in the room after that, and I decide that Hiei's dreams are really none of my business. He can keep his trauma to himself. "What the hell are you doin' in here anyway? You make a habit out of watching people sleep? Because, not to judge or anything, but that's super creepy. I'm talkin' next level creepy, dude."

"You talk too much." That gets a snort of laughter out of me, and I can feel the tenseness leftover from my dream fading as I turn to face towards where Hiei is sitting.

"Don't be ridiculous, I talk the right amount." I'm smiling as I say the words, but my head suddenly feels like it's going to float away from the rest of my body. Like I just got hit by the strangest sense of _déjà vu_ and it's making me dizzy, and I think all of the training and healthy food that Takahiro forced into me has officially turned me crazy.

"I want more of that drink." The words catch me off guard, because I'm still trying to figure out if I'm going to have to be carted off in a straightjacket, and I have to blink a few times to clear my head. It helps clear up my vision some too, so I can actually see Hiei. He's sitting cross-legged on the bed, and he's only wearing a pair of black pants. No, wait, there's a bandage wrapped around the lower half of his right arm.

"Tell me if I've got this right. You snuck into my room and stared at me like a creeper so that I'd make you a cup of hot chocolate?" Is this dude for real? Does he not know how to work a microwave or something?

That's not fair. Botan told me a little bit about Hiei, just that he'd made some mistakes in his past and was sort of stuck in Human World, but that he's originally from Demon World. I've never personally been to Demon World, but Dad used to tell me and Takahiro stories. There are some parts of Demon World that are more civilized, like our cities, but most of that world is chaos. There's a very strong chance that Hiei has never used a microwave before in his life, so _of course_ he doesn't know how to make hot chocolate. Which is just really freakin' sad, so now I have to go make the guy some.

"You're lucky that I've got a chocolate craving. Come on, hot stuff, let's get our drink on," I say and kick the sheet off of my legs. Hiei grunts quietly, probably at my little pet name, but he doesn't say anything else as I stumble to my feet and then lead the way out of my bedroom.

The main part of the hotel room is dark and quiet, so we must be the only ones awake. Which makes sense, because my internal clock is telling me that it's still really early in the morning. Probably somewhere between one and three, which is a good time for a quick drink of hot chocolate. I flip the light on in the little kitchen area so that I can clearly see what I'm doing, and Hiei leans against the counter with his arms crossed as I go through the motions of making the hot chocolate. Fill cups with water, heat up the water in the microwave, stir in packets of chocolate and little marshmallows.

I pass Hiei his cup as soon as they're both done, and he grips it the same way as he did the night before. Why can't he just use the handle? Seeing him hold the cup like that is freaky. Still, he doesn't say anything insulting as he takes his first long sip so I think we're making progress. I lean against the counter next to him as I start to drink my own hot chocolate, and I can feel his eyes on me as I drink in silence.

"You let your brother come here." I wasn't expecting him to say that, and I lower the cup from my lips as I turn my head to look at him. Hiei's looking down into his half-full cup though and not meeting my eyes.

"It's not like I would've been able to stop him. Takahiro and me, we're all that's left. Our dad died a few months ago, so we stick together." Talking about my dad still hurts, causes my stomach to clench painfully and for my chest to ache, but I'm not going to stop talking about him. I won't dishonor him by acting like he never existed.

"The dog is not your blood." My eyes narrow in a glare, but Hiei still isn't looking at me so he misses out on my pissed off look. The longer I look at him though, or at the side of his face, the more I realize that he's not _trying_ to be antagonistic. From where I'm standing, he looks curious. Either about my family situation or the hot chocolate that he's staring down at. I'm putting my money on him being curious about why I call someone who isn't my blood my brother, because it's a concept that some demons can't understand. Demon World isn't known for accepting orphans.

"No, he's not, but it's not like that matters. We've grown up together, been there for each other, and we love each other. Sometimes blood doesn't have anything to do with who your family is. Takahiro is my brother because I chose him, just like he chose me." Hiei looks at me from the corner of his eye, but I can't read his expression now. Dude has an excellent poker face.

"Sentiment can get you killed." I'm still learning who Hiei is, but that definitely seems like a Hiei-thing to say. I shrug as I raise my cup up again, and I take a long sip as I try to think of how to answer.

"Probably, because I'd die for my brother in a heartbeat, but it'd be worth it." Hiei's eyes move down to my chest, and I'm gearing up to give him a lecture on _not_ staring at teammates' chests when I realize that his head is cocked to the side. He's not really looking at my chest. He's listening. "The heartbeat thing differs from halfbreed to halfbreed. Mine beats like a human's."

"Hn," is the only answer I receive. Hiei turns his face away then and starts to drink again, and I reach up to press a hand over my chest. I'm still wearing Yusuke's thin white tee shirt, so I can easily feel the strong beat of my heart. Strong, steady beats unlike the non-beating hearts of full demons. Some legends say that it means there's more human than demon in me, but I think that's a load of bullshit. My spirit energy and demon energy are pretty evenly matched.

"You know, this is kinda nice. The two of us sharing, drinking some hot chocolate—"

"You're a deranged fool."

"—you insulting me. I feel like we're bonding. Cheers." I stretch out an arm to clink my cup against the side of his, and I can hear Hiei growling as I down the rest of my hot chocolate. He's a prickly sort, but he's not so bad. At least I know who he really is and what he really thinks, because he doesn't really hold back.

"Go back to sleep, halfbreed," Hiei says as he pushes his empty cup into my hand. I nearly drop it as I struggle to hold both cups, and my eyes zero in on the bare skin of his shoulders. Hopefully, the fire demon can feel me glaring at him as he walks away. Then again, I think fighting with him will only antagonize him. (Or, maybe that's what he expects. For people to respond to his anger with their own.) Well, I've never liked being ordinary.

"Sweet dreams, hot stuff!" Hiei makes another quiet sound before disappearing into his room, and I laugh quietly under my breath as I rinse out the cups.

I should probably be pissed at Hiei for waking me up, but I'm glad he did. The dream I had is kinda fuzzy now, but I know it completely freaked me out. So listening to Hiei insult me as I made hot chocolate, at his request, has helped me to calm down. I even feel like I'll be able to fall back asleep pretty quickly, and my feet drag across the ground as I walk back to my room. I fall down face-first onto the bed and bury my face in my pillow, and I move my legs around until I can pull the sheet up a little. Once it's high enough, I reach down and pull it up around me.

" _Not bad, for day one at the Dark Tournament,"_ I think before falling back to sleep.

* * *

 **Ending Note:** I said that there would be more POV switches, so expect even more as the Dark Tournament continues. I am going to do my best not to make things too repetitive and mainly focus on the changes, but some things are going to have to be at least a little summarized so that it still makes sense.

All in all though, this chapter was very fun to write! I like writing from different characters' perspectives, but I love writing from Corey's perspective as she learns more about her team. Also, just to make sure there isn't any confusion, that dream Corey had was a memory. She just doesn't know that it's a memory because of the mental block that Koenma put on her and Takahiro.

If there's any questions about anything, I'd be happy to answer them!

 **SakiHanajima1:** Yeah, I feel bad for Corey and Takahiro at times because they have no idea that the people they're meeting are their closest friends. Were their closest friends? Will be? It's all very confusing. I love Kurama, I do, but his intelligence can be terrifying. And you know I listened to that song on repeat while writing that scene! I love Hiei, and let's be honest. He needs a friend, so that's why I threw in another Corey/Hiei bonding moment in this chapter! I did sneak in Jez, and she was in this chapter too! She'll be popping up more and more, and I'm really excited to expand on her part in the story. THANK YOU for the review!

 **StrawberryHuggles:** Writing those first introductions was so tricky, so I'm glad you liked it! And the one-sided dialogue is something I've done with my friends, and it always gets a laugh out of those of us that are conscious. (Especially if the friend is a sleep-talker.) I love Hiei and Corey's friendship, so I'll definitely be expanding it as the story continues. Thank you so much for the review!

 **Sweet Sprinks:** I'm so glad you like the story so far! Thank you for reading and for leaving a review!

 **FireStorm1991:** There was a little more information on Jezebel in this chapter, and more will be explained about her as the story continues. I know Hiei is antisocial and kinda rude in the anime, but I still think he needs a friend. Corey's the more laidback type who doesn't get angry or offended easily, unless someone is insulting her brother, so I think their friendship makes sense. (Writing all of the time talk is confusing for me too. I have to constantly read over things to make sure that I didn't make a mistake.) Thank you for all of the lovely reviews!

 **allebiouqruop:** I'm happy to hear that you like Corey! Writing OCs is always difficult, and terrifying, but I think of them as my babies. Especially considering how much planning goes into making them. Thank you for the reviews!

 **NoS:** I'm glad you're enjoying the story! I've got a lot planned, so I hope you continue to read and enjoy! Thank you for the review!

 **backoff22:** In your review on Chapter 4 you mentioned being wary of 14 year old protagonists, which I totally agree with, but they won't be 14 for long. Technically, Corey and Takahiro are just in their 14 year old bodies. So after the Dark Tournament, they'll get their memories back and have the minds of…people much older. I'm going to try to be careful while writing the Dark Tournament arc and write them as believable teenagers though. (Feel free to let me know if you think I've made a mistake! I can always use some extra help lol) Moving on to the next review! I really loved writing the Hiei/Corey encounter, which was why I wrote another one. So I'm glad you liked it! Thank you for the reviews!


	7. IMPORTANT NOTE

**Author's Note:** It has been a long and difficult year for me. I won't go into excruciating detail, but I will say that I am now regularly going to therapy and working towards better mental health. Between depression and insomnia and anxiety, it's been a real emotional rollercoaster. (And I prefer the calmer rides. I want to be on an emotional ferris wheel.) I feel like I'm slowly getting better though, so I wanted to update my readers.

There is something that I want to make clear: I AM NOT ABANDONING THIS STORY. It is going on hiatus, but that is just so new readers won't expect a quick update. As for everyone who has read/favorited/followed/reviewed, I cannot thank you enough for your support. I do promise that when I update again, this story will have several pre-written chapters so that no one will have to wait months for updates. Until then, thank you again for all of your support and kind words. I hope you're still here when I come back.

[I am posting this to make sure that I don't break any FFnet rules, so here's a quick little drabble that means absolutely nothing.]

* * *

 **Interlude: December 19, 2018**

Everything around me is kinda fuzzy around the edges, like I've been awake and staring at them for too long. My fists rub against my eyes until pinwheels of color dance in the blackness, and my eyes pop open as I hear a familiar scoff. Hiei is standing in front of me, still just wearing black pants and a bandage on his right arm, but I can't tell if it's the past Hiei or my Hiei. Because I can remember everything, which is so not good because there is a telepath in front of me and I don't know which timeline this is and-

"This isn't real, halfbreed," Hiei tells me in a bored tone.

"So, like a dream?" That would definitely explain the fuzziness. Hiei isn't fuzzy though. He looks solid.

"No. This is a moronic attempt at a place holder until the next chapter can be told. It means nothing." Well, that's a new one. So not a dream and not...what? Not reality? Have we stepped outside of reality?

"And I still haven't warmed up to the time travel idea," I groan and scrub my hands across my face. Nope, the trees all around us are still blurry. Wait a second, we were just in the kitchen. I think. "Why is this happening?"

"Note from the creator. Yours, not mine." Hiei's tone is slightly arrogant. Is he putting my creator down? "This only exists because of rules that the creator doesn't want to break."

"Do you think if I ask nicely, the creator will make me taller?" I ask absently. I'm pretty sure I'll forget all about this, since apparently it doesn't really exist. I'm pretty sure that's what Hiei is getting at anyway.

"You should ask to be a real demon." Hiei's smile is cruel, but that's just how he smiles so I can't even fake being offended.

"You're right. You're the one who should ask to be a little taller." As the fuzzy world starts to fade to black, I can hear Hiei growling over the sound of my laughter.

* * *

 **Ending Note:** This chapter has no impact on the story whatsoever. It's just a quick little thing since authors aren't supposed to post chapters that are just notes. Also, this chapter will be deleted once the story is off hiatus.


End file.
